AstillfromthedramaADreamofYouth.Everyyear,theExperimentalSchoolAffiliatedtoHaidianTeachersTrainingCollegerehearsesadramaundertheguidanceofartistsfromtheBeijingPeople’sArtTheatre.OnApril2,2018,Beijing’smostprestigiousprofessionaltheater,theBeijingPeople’sArtTheatre(BPAT)andtheBeijingMunicipalEducationCommissionjointlyestablishedtheBeijingCampusTheatreEducationAlliance(BCTEA),aimingtopopularizetheatricalcultureandeducationacrossBeijing’scampuses,rangingfromprimaryschoolstocolleges.
ThefirstgroupofBCTEAmembersincludes27schoolsandschooldistrictsacrossBeijing.Afterjoiningthealliance,theseschoolswillincorporatedramaeducationintotheirdailyaestheticeducation.Throughprofessionalguidance,dramaeducationwillbecomeanaturalsupplementtoquality-orientededucation.
“Thankstotheestablishmentofthealliance,ourtheatrecanperformbetterandmoresystematiceducationalworkandbringdramatothecampustobenefitmorechildren,”BPATdirectorRenMingsaid.
AccordingtoRen,theBPATwilljoinhandswithmanyschoolsinthefollowingways:
First,theBPATwillbringitsproductionstothoseschools.ThefirststopwillbeTsinghuaUniversity.
Second,artistsandtheatricalprofessionalsfromtheBPATwillgivelecturesoncampusandhelpstudentsrehearseplays.
Moreover,studentscanvisitvenuessuchasBeijingCapitalTheatre,BPATMuseumandJuyinTheatre,allofwhichareopentothepublic.Studentvisitorscansitinonrehearsalsandparticipateinvariousdramaactivities.
Morethanadecadeago,artistsfromtheBPATfirstbegantogotovariousschoolstopromotedrama.Theyestablisheddramaeducationbasesintwosecondaryschools,andregularlysentpersonneltheretoteachvariousclassesandorganizerehearsals.
Inaninterview,TangYe,awellknowndirectorwiththeBPAT,pointedout:“Thepromotionofdramaeducationisnotaimedatcultivatingtheatricalprofessionalssuchasdirectors,actors,andplaywrights;rather,itisawaytoinspireeverychildtoparticipateandenjoythefun.”
“Wesetupteachinggroupsandarrangeaclassicrepertoireforschoolsalmosteverytwoyears,”addedTang.“Beforerehearsals,weinstructstudentstoreadtheoriginaltextsoftheChineseclassics.Wewanttogettheminterestedinreadingtheplays.”
TangYeservesasapart-timetutorattheExperimentalSchoolAffiliatedtoHaidianTeachersTrainingCollege.“IfwewanttoarrangeaproductionofCaoYu’sdramaHome,forinstance,wewillfirstencouragethestudentstoreadthescriptandshowthemtheoriginalnovelbyBaJin,theauthor,alongsideotherworksfromthesameperiod.Thebestwaytogetclosertothecharactersandunderstandtheirmotivationistolearnaboutwhatwasgoingoninthatera.”
Throughsuchdramaeducationbases,howcantheseinstitutionsprovideeducationalresourcesthatbenefiteverystudent?
“Everyyear,theschoolarrangesaproductionofadrama—eitheraclassicorstudents’original,”Tangcontinued.“Everystudentinclassesfromfirstthroughsixthgradesisrequiredtoreadscripts,writeareactionpaperandchoosescenestorehearseordesignaround.SometimestutorsfromtheBPAT,includingmyself,helptheschooldramatrouperehearseascenewithstudentswatching,sotheycanseethedifference.It’saprocessofbroadeningtheirhorizons.Thereisnogoodorbad.”
DuMingcong,afreshmanatBeijingNo.166MiddleSchool,anotherdramaeducationbaselaunchedbytheBPAT,isabeneficiary.
“Learningthescriptandperforminghasmadememoreconfidentinotheraspectsofmylifeandhelpedmeunderstandliteraturemoreprofoundly,”Duasserted.
“Weusuallymeetonceaweekatafixedtime,”shecontinued.“Theteacherexplainsthecontentandteachesusbasicskills.Sometimeswewillrehearsescenesfromourfavoritedramasonweekends.”
“TeachersfromtheBPAToncedirectedourrehearsalsofADreamofRedMansions,oneofChina’sfourmost-reveredclassicsalongsiderehearsalsofShakespeare’scomedyAMidsummerNight’sDream,leadingusdeepintothestoriesandcharacters.”
China’simplementationofreforminqualityeducationintheearly1990striggeredgrowingattentiontoaestheticeducationsuchasdramaandmusic.
“Thepurposeofsettingupanallianceistoexplorehowtomaximizeourdramaeducationresources,”saidWangJun,directorofthePhysicalandArtisticEducationDepartmentoftheBeijingMunicipalEducationCommission.
Thesituationisnotasoptimisticasthefoundersofthealliancewouldlikeittobe.Oneconcernishowtobuilddramaeducationintothemainstreaminmoreschools.
“Eachschool’sphilosophyandneedsaredifferent,”TangYeadmitted.“Andwelacksuitablesystematictextbooks,nottomentionteachers.”
TheintegrationofdramaintoschoolteachingoriginatedfromtheeducationalconceptsofFrenchthinkerandeducatorJean-JacquesRousseau(1712-1778):“learninginpractice”and“learninginthepracticeofdrama.”
AfterWorldWarII,Westerncountriescontinuedtoexplorethetheoriesandpracticeofeducationaltheateranddrama.Dramaeducationinmanycountrieshasnowbeeninstitutionalizedandstandardized.Forexample,BritainformallyincludedtheatricaleventsaspartofthenationalEnglishcurriculumstandards.TheUnitedStateshasalreadyformedacompletedramaeducationsystemcoveringkindergartens,elementaryandsecondaryschools,andevencollegesanduniversities.
Inearly20th-centuryChina,justafewyearsafterWesterndramawasintroduced,ZhangBoling(1876-1951),afamouscontemporaryeducator,adoptedWesterntheatereducationideasanduseddramaasawaytonurturetalentandimprovesociety,leadingChinatoincorporatedramaintotheeducationalsystem.
Sincethen,manyChineseeducatorshavefollowedsuit,practicedhisideasanduseddramatofacilitatevariouskindsofsocialeducation.
Forexample,famousChineseeducatorsTaoXingzhiandYanYangchuuseddramaasapowerful,effectivemeansofpubliceducationandsparednoeffortstoacceleratetheatercampaignsamongfarmers.
However,therearestillsomeconcerns:HowshouldChinadevelopdramatodayandutilizetheeducationalfunctionofdrama?Howshoulddramaveeroffthestage,entersociety,andgopublicwiththehelpofmodernmedia?
FromtheconceptsintroducedbyZhangBolingtoextensiveandwidespreadeffortsinteachingandeducatingpeoplethroughtheuseoftheatricalforms,dramaeducationstillhasalongwaytogoinChina.
TangYe(right),awell-knowndirectoroftheBeijingPeople’sArtTheatre,directsascene.