Actor of Guoguang Opera Company—Guan-Sheng Xie

Interviewing actors.

1.How did you walk onto the Chinese opera actor path?
Ans:Talking about the opera school, when I was in the 4th grade of the elementary school, my father saw the selection news on the newspaper, then sent me to the examination, and I successfully passed the test. So I run into the profession accidentally, not because I liked it or my parents did. I still remembered the first night I entered the opera school, I cried out loud, because that was my first time left home, and I had home sick. But I could not go back home, and from the second day on, I was beaten.

2.How long did you spend to practice indigenously to become a formal Chinese opera actor? And what are the requirements to be formal actor, such as basic gong fu, using of properties, and facial make-up, and so on?
Ans:I started practice gong fu at 5 o’clock every morning, except breakfast and lunch time, I had to practice until 5 o’clock in the evening, and then learned other academic subjects. So two third of the time in a day, we practice martial arts, that’s exactly how we called “one minute on the stage, and ten years of practice off stage.” You asked me how long does it take to practice, my answer to you is that up until now, I still practice without stopping. It should be put this way: as long as how long I would like to perform on the stage, then I need to last practicing. The requirements for the formal actor has to be not afraid of hardship, not afraid of beaten, and most importantly, not afraid of failure, for there is the time that one will be failed on the stage. And never consider success is definite. “Failure is the best thrilling pills,” for failure will let us remember the lessons and become the momentum of continuous progression.

3.There are various roles in the Chinese opera, whether it is the experienced actor that can take any role?
Ans:The distinction of Chinese opera roles is very strict. For instance, there are various sheng in the sheng, tan, ching, and chou, such as elderly sheng, martial sheng, young sheng, and so on. I personally know a little bit of playing them, but not professional. If you originally played a certain role, and today played another, then we call it “counter-play.” So, not any different role can be played well by every actor.

Actor is preparing prior to the performance.

4.Prior to performing Chinese opera, how long does it take you to read the script? How you think of the role and to play it vividly?
Ans:An entire script does not the entire part of one actor. You have to know lines of other actors, then you may have nature dialogue with others. Reciting script should be no longer than one month, and I normally spend some one week. It is not that we continuously recite the lines, but rather by using the free time of practicing gong fu to recite the script, and correct the errors in the mistakes. I recite script very well, but if you ask me to recite Mandarin textbook, I couldn’t. Probably, it is because my occupation. Talking about how to conceive the role in the play and to act it vividly, the most important thing is to understand the character of the role, and to collect data from different angle, and observing things and related experience in life as well.

5.Please briefly explain which role made the most impression to you during your performance of Chinese opera, and why?
Ans:The opera of Wu-Song. Because I played Da-Lang Wu, who was very short, but I could not played with knees down; therefore, muscle of legs has to be strong, otherwise one will not stand still. Yet, no matter how strong the legs are, it is uneasy to stand for the entire show. It was very tired for the legs. And I was impressive to the play.

6.Have you faced bottleneck or challenge during your career as Chinese opera actor?
Ans:Along the road, we have to face plenty challenge, such as cope with the stage, practice gong fu, reciting lines, forgetting lines on the stage and so on. You have to overcome one by one. These are difficulties. For example, since we are live show, unlike TV or film that can be rerun; therefore, if we forgot the lines on the stage, we have to be quick-minded and kept on playing. Thus, on the stage, if forgot the line and how to let the plot be acted naturally is the biggest challenge for us.

Actor is performing

7.Please briefly explain if somebody would like to work as Chinese opera actor, what is your suggestion?
Ans:One has to have the requirements of not afraid of shame, beaten, and hardship.

8.Please briefly explain your expectation to the future development on the Chiense opera.
Ans:Wish more people to watch the opera.

Reference: research team interview of Actor of Guoguang Opera Company—Guan-Sheng Xie
Source of Photos: photography by the research team

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