Drama producer Wang Keran： The classic is that the world’s drama can cross language and cultural differences.
"Source of this article: China Network"
Lead: Wang Keran, China drama producer and founder of Yang Hua drama. Over the years, his plays have been active on the stage of major theaters, among which there are many classic works with both artistic and commercial values, such as Love Letter, A Dream Like a Dream and New Yuan Ye. Wang Keran also cooperated with many internationally renowned directors and screenwriters, and brought excellent drama works such as Jewish Town, Ponzi scheme, Thunderstorm and After Thunderstorm to the audience, which promoted the exchange and spread of Chinese and foreign cultures. In December 2021, the French ambassador to China awarded Wang Keran the Knight of French Art and Literature in recognition of his contribution in the field of art.
This issue of Interview with China interviewed Wang Keran, the founder, artistic director and general manager of Yang Hua Drama.
Wang Keran, winner of the Knight Order of French Arts and Literature, founder, artistic director and general manager of Central China Drama, was interviewed by Interview with China (photo: Zheng Liang).
China Network:But hello! First of all, I am very glad to invite you to be our guest today, Interview with China on China. First of all, congratulations, you won this French Knight of Arts and Literature. We know that this medal is a national medal of honor established by the French government. What does it mean to you to be awarded this medal this time?
Wang Keran:As a dramatist, I certainly feel very happy to be able to publish some artistic reviews based on drama together with the world-renowned drama powers.
China Network:Good art belongs not only to China, but also to the world.
Wang Keran:This sentence is very reasonable. There must be room for everyone to recognize what can be called artistic value, but the evaluation is crucial, whether it is true artistic value or not. Therefore, I am very happy that our work is common, inclusive, recognized, understood, accepted and welcomed all over the world.
China. com: I know that you have worked with some French directors and screenwriters before, including Ponzi scheme with David Lesgau in 2019, Thunderstorm and After Thunderstorm with Eric lacasse Card in 2020. What’s different about working with French screenwriters and directors?
Wang Keran:No. Every creator has his own personality, and every creator has his own expression scheme different from others, no matter from his works or from his personality. So I said there is no overall, because they are all different. Our understanding of art is in one dimension, and the common recognition of creation is on the same platform, and there is no obstacle to our communication.
China Net: Will there be some cultural differences?
Wang Keran:Different expression schemes do not mean that we are different. The real understanding lies in the value direction of the works. Then we are all the same in the value direction of the work. The expression scheme is just like the difference between singing it in Peking Opera or singing it in Yue Opera, so I don’t feel different.
China. com: As a producer and producer of drama, what role do you think drama can play in promoting Sino-French cultural exchanges and even Sino-foreign cultural exchanges?
Wang Keran:I think it is very useful, because the drama shows a moving, emotional and communicative stage form and stage plan through various means on the stage, which is acceptable to all who enter the theater. France and China, the world and China, China and the world, China and France, in such a communication without any obstacles, get empathy, blend in together and get excited together. This is a good communication opportunity and communication scheme, and it is also a communication channel. This communication channel is bound to make people know each other, accept each other and communicate with each other. This is an opportunity and scheme.
China. com: Yes, in fact, I can particularly feel what you said. Art (from different cultural backgrounds), sometimes we may have language barriers, but we can still feel that kind of beauty.
Wang Keran:This kind of beauty is expressed by art’s own language, that is, the way it is presented on the stage. In this way, whether he is the French or Chinese, whether he is a Parisian or a Beijinger, he can establish mutual resonance through artistic language, and this resonance is effective communication.
China Network: What kind of works do you want to bring to the international stage?
Wang Keran:China’s best classic works, such as Thunderstorm and After Thunderstorm, are China’s, world’s, classic and world’s.
China. com: Do you think they can understand traditional China’s plays?
Wang Keran:I can understand Les Miserables, and they can also understand Thunderstorm, as long as it is a classic.
China. com: Actually, compared with movies and TV series, drama is a relatively small form of artistic expression, especially some dramas with serious content and long time. Attracting audiences, especially young audiences, into the theater is also a problem that the creators need to consider. What do you think of this problem? How is it solved?
Wang Keran:Drama, as I understand it, is bound to be popular, but some people in the public can enter the theater, but drama is bound to be created for the public to see. If the drama creator thinks that drama is a minority art, it is for a few people to see, the path and direction are wrong and do not conform to the rules of drama itself. The rules of drama itself must be able to be seen by all people who have the ability to read and have the opportunity to enter the theater. If we can bring the ticket price to the same price as the movie ticket, it is a work that all people who watch movies can watch, love and enjoy. It will make people feel that it is different from the movie, but it still touches me so vividly and holds my soul tightly so deeply. (So) it is not a minority, it must be created for the public. Therefore, for me, how to present the greatest value of drama is the creative value of drama works that we want to pursue. There shouldn’t be a threshold. I’m looking for works that take a long time, and I want to make sure that most people can sit down and see as long as they come in.
Wang Keran, winner of the Knight Order of French Arts and Literature, founder, artistic director and general manager of Central China Drama, was interviewed by Interview with China (photo: Zheng Liang).
China. com: The creative staff should express their works and characters in various ways, and our audience can also do some preparatory work when they enter the theater, so that we can better understand this work. Can you tell us something about our ordinary audience, like me, if they want to go into the theater to see a work, what preparations do I need to make?
Wang Keran:Make up your mind to see it, take the money to buy a ticket, and then go in with peace of mind. The premise is that you believe that you love this work, you can watch it, and then you find it is, that’s right. The best and correct way is that you don’t make any preparations. You just want to see a play, and then you take the money to buy a ticket, and then you go in and find that it is really a good time. That’s right. Of course, a very good work, you feel very good after reading it. You tell yourself that if I read more about the social background, cultural background and creative concept of this work in the future, I will have a better understanding. This is of course possible, but it is not necessary.
China Network: What do you think a good drama should look like?
Wang Keran:Personally, I think that a good drama works are these standards: the first standard, which has a high degree of values recognized by philosophers, but at the same time, all these values should be expressed in a very simple (way) way through the drama practice of drama workers, which is a good work. There must be values, and there must be the means and ability to present values. The goal is that the audience loves to watch. As long as the audience doesn’t like watching it, it is wrong to have values alone. It’s not a drama that only makes the audience like to watch without values. Drama must have two standards, broad audience acceptance and high soul value space, that’s all.
China Net: It has a spiritual core and is loved by everyone.
Over the past ten years, the drama of Central China has brought us many classic works, including Thunderstorm, After Thunderstorm, Dream Like a Dream, Jewish Town, New Yuan Ye, etc. I believe that the joint efforts of the whole team and very high standards must be behind good works. Then, as the founder of the drama of Central China, can you tell us what requirements or standards you have in your drama creation?
Wang Keran:There is a value concept in Central China, which is called "the path to values is value". Values are thoughts, ideas and heights. What is the value? The value is whether you have the ability to let the audience enter the drama by buying tickets. Your technical content is not to rudely write philosophy, thoughts and values into a story, but your ability is precisely to reflect the majestic process of fate in all stories, dialogues and exchanges. A Dream of Red Mansions is such a vivid story, but it expresses the iteration and change of China’s history and society, but it has never been written to the public in the form of a paper. Drama (too) is the same, that is, can you make the audience willing to pay for tickets to see your play, and then your play has values, and it can help people, warm people and care about people. These are the two. Yang Hua has been working hard on this road and trying to test himself.
China. com: Do we have any hard and fast standards in some aspects, such as clothing, culture and morality, as well as the choice of creative personnel and actors? For example, I must be trained, or I must have many years of experience on the stage.
Wang Keran:When we choose an actor, there is only one criterion: whether the actor can act or not, and whether the actor has the courage to act. There is no other criterion. For Yang Hua, there is only one standard difference between a regular class and a non-regular class: can he act or not?
China Net: Let’s test it with practice.
Wang Keran:For Yang Hua, we think that the trained class can perform and dare to perform, and whether or not we can discover his greater value on the stage is our standard.
China Net: What are your expectations for the future development of China drama?
Wang Keran:China has such a vast soil, which is the deepest nourishing environment for drama, culture and literature. As long as we are willing to regard our profession as a tool to love and care for people, it is best to add warm people. If we can work hard and move forward in this direction, China’s artistic works and China’s cultural works will inevitably be the most important forces in the world.
China Net: OK, thank you finally. Thank you for bringing us so many wonderful dramas. We also look forward to seeing more good dramas in the future.
Wang Keran:Thank you.
(Personnel in this period: director/text/host: Bai Wei; Photography: Zheng Liang; Editor: Zheng Haibin)
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