Rehearsal of new original modern Ningbo opera play starts

Category: Ningbo News
Published: Sunday, 15 September 2019 11:17

On the morning of September 10, the rehearsal of the original modern Ningbo opera play named “Red Azalea” was officially started in Ningbo Performing Arts Group for its premiere in late October. "Red Azalea" is a new play created by Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe, which has been included in the key supporting projects of the 2019 Ningbo Cultural Promotion Program and the key projects of stage art creation in Zhejiang Province.

Since it was proposed in 2016, the script of the play has been repeatedly polished for three years and has gone through seven drafts. The play tells the story of Zheng Yuanzheng, the KMT general commander and the police

commander of a city along the East China Sea before the founding of the new China. According to the play, Zeng was celebrating the first birthday of his granddaughter at home when a KMT military chief ordered that his house be besieged for the capture of an underground communist party member. The family was required to hand over the underground party member hiding in the house within 12 hours. Trapped inside, the family members had their own secrets and a huge crisis was imminent. With the distinctive theme and exciting plots, the play aims to praise the revolutionary pioneers’ firm beliefs and indomitable fighting spirit, and to reflect the people’s strong desire for peace and against war.

The play is jointly composed by Wang Daocheng, vice president of the Chinese Musical Association, and Ma Min, a national Class-B playwright, and directed by Yu Donghai, a national Class-A director. The singing part is designed by Dai Wei, a national Class-A composer, and music is composed by Wang Feng, a national Class-B composer. The stage designer of the play is Bian Wentong, a professor of the Stage Design Department of the Central Academy of Drama, the costume design is Pan Jianhua, a professor from the Costume and Makeup Design Department of Shanghai Academy of Drama, and the artistic director is Wo Xingkang, a national Class-A actor. Some actors and actresses from Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe, including Zhang Xinyi, Zheng Jian, Su Xing, Shen Chao, Liu Jiujing, Yang Qin’er, He Lei, Huang Ming and Zhang Youjia, played important roles in the play