Chen Shizheng

Chen Shizheng

Chen Shizheng is a versatile artist whose works span music, drama, film, drama and other art categories. In 2008, he won the first prize of "dark matter" at the Asian Film Festival. He is currently the only famous Chinese American director and choreographer active in opera, drama stage and film industry in Europe and America. He was praised as "genius and master" by European and American critics.

Personal profile

Born in Hunan in 1963, he began to work as a stage actor, choreographer and director in the United States in 1987. Mr. Chen Shizheng, who is regarded as "genius and master" by European and American critics, is the only famous Chinese American director and choreographer who is active in opera, drama stage and film industry in Europe and America. He has been pursuing artistic innovation. In his works, he has not only transcended music, opera, drama, dance, film and other artistic fields, but also transcended the national consciousness in culture and realized artistic diversification, which has been highly praised by Western audiences and critics. Because of his special influence in the western art circle and his contributions to the western stage, Mr. Chen Shizheng won the Knights of literature and Art Award from the French government as a Chinese artist in 2002. France's Le Monde once rated the performance as "one of the most remarkable cultural events of the 20th century".

Main works

Tang Xianzu's 20 hour Kunqu Opera Peony Pavilion

musical play:

Orphan Zhao, Lincoln Center theatre, Lincoln Center Festival, snow in June, American Theatre, peach blossom fan, red cat theatre, Disney Hall, Los Angeles, imitation of China, next wave Festival, Nezha, New York modern music festival, my mythical life, Lincoln Art Center, Denmark Festival《 Journey to the West: Manchester Art Festival, Paris opera house, Berlin opera house, Royal Opera House, legend of the White Snake, Lincoln Center Art Festival, Edinburgh International Art Festival, Sydney Art Festival, Australia

Western classical opera and modern opera:

Puccini opera Turandot New York opera house Mozart opera heart of a woman Champs Elysees opera house in Paris, French exsa beauvas Art Festival Henry PESER's didos and ARS, American spolletto Art Festival, Boston Hendel Haydn Symphony Orchestra Wagner's Opera vagrant Dutchman, American spolletto Art Festival famous composition in Baroque period "Evening prayer" by Monteverdi in 1610, Boston Hendel Haydn Symphony Orchestra Monteverdi's "opheo" by BNO, Boston Hendel Haydn Symphony Orchestra Monteverdi's "Coronation of popea", BNO Monteverdi's "La Traviata" by BNO, Lithuanian National Opera House Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" by Italian Roman Opera House "Good" New Mexico Center for modern art "forgiveness" American Asian Association "Louis Ellie in China" New Zealand International Art Festival "dinner" Paris Art Festival, Berlin Art Festival, Frankfurt modern orchestra, Lincoln Center Art Festival "the world of silver" Berlin Art Festival "Bonesetter's daughter" San Francisco Opera House "misfortune" Royal Opera House "《 China house, Kennedy hall, New York

TV movie:

The documentary "revolutionary literary warrior" was shot for French national television station 3. His first film "dark matter" was edited and directed by him and Hollywood star Meryl. Stepp and Liu Ye cooperate with Disney film company in 2010

Appreciation of works

Disney's "song and dance youth" in China will be released on August 10, 2010. This song and dance film about young people's dream of singing in China's colleges and universities has caused great controversy before it is released. As we all know, the Walt Disney group of the United States made a series of films "youth of song and dance" in 2006, and this series of films won the love of audiences all over the world. The beautiful men and women in the film and the original songs give great encouragement to the young people who like singing career; the talent shows such as "American Idol" and "America's got talent" are also booming with this upsurge.
Disney group boldly decided not only to introduce "song and dance youth" into China, but also to make a thorough Turnaround: to use Chinese actors to tell Chinese stories. This seemingly novel and adventurous decision accidentally touched a thunder line in the heart of Chinese audiences: Shanzhai. The film has not yet been broadcast, more than 70% of the audience because the film "the same name, even the theme song are the same", "the actor is too shocking! Actors are too old "began to question the film, from rational analysis to irrational curse has become the" opening story "of the film. "Song and dance youth" is a localization transplant of American films. On the one hand, it aims to make Chinese films more in line with the world. On the other hand, it tries to present many things with American characteristics to Chinese audiences.
On July 20, Beijing time, time.com had an exclusive interview with Chen Shizheng, the director of song and dance youth. In the 20 minute interview, Chen Shizheng bravely faced the audience's doubts and patiently answered the relevant content of the film. After completing his graduate degree at tischool of Arts at New York University, Chen Shizheng has been active in European and American opera for more than ten years. The western style of choreography is popular among Europeans. In 2007, Chen Shizheng made the film dark matter based on a true story. In the film, Liu Ye and Meryl Streep worked hand in hand to describe the dark story of Chinese students studying in the United States who shot and killed their professors because they were unable to defend their papers. The film won a special award from the American Science Foundation at the Sundance Film Festival.
In 2010, Chen Shizheng brought his new work "song and dance youth" to the audience of his motherland again, and the song and dance film is not difficult for an opera director who enjoys a high reputation in Europe and America. For him, Chinese children can't live like the male and female protagonists in "song and dance youth", so this film "is a film about dreams and fantasies", and about Shanzhai, he thinks that "we must see the film before we can evaluate it."

The hardest part is music

"Song and dance youth" is adapted from the American song and dance film of the same name. For Chen Shizheng, who has been active in the opera and drama stage in Europe and America, directing an English version of "song and dance youth" is undoubtedly much easier than the Chinese version of "song and dance youth". Chen Shizheng said that the difficulty lies in music. It's really a challenge to make Chinese songs as strong as English songs. He revealed that nearly five months before the film started shooting, he had been looking for suitable songs and recording demo tapes for the film. It can be said that the biggest challenge of the film was here.

Innovation in hiphop

Chen Shizheng said that the innovation of the Chinese version of "song and dance youth" is to add hiphop music to the film. Previously, the American version of "song and dance youth" did not have hiphop elements because it was shot earlier. Inspired by Chen Shizheng, the latest episode of "song and dance youth" has added hiphop to it.
Chen Shizheng said that the reason why we want to add hiphop is that hiphop is a thing of this era. As soon as it is put into the film, we feel that the rhythm is very right.

Chinese people can make musical films

Previously, some people believed that the Han nationality's implicit and introverted personality made it difficult for Chinese people to make song and dance films. Chen Shizheng agrees that there is something national in it, but he also thinks that the post-80s and post-90s have changed a lot and are in line with international standards. The performance of these actors in "song and dance youth" makes people feel that they are no worse than those in the United States.

Guo Degang is very serious in acting

In the movie, Guo Degang's family lives in an old house surrounded by demolished ruins, which looks like a nail house from a distance. Chen Shizheng said that the design was intentional. He believed that Beijing opera, like old houses, was something young people didn't pay much attention to. He likes Peking Opera very much and often puts it in his works. He hopes to make young people interested in Beijing Opera again in the form of Peking Opera plus rap.
Chen Shizheng said that he originally intended to find Peking Opera actors to play Guo Degang, but later someone recommended Guo Degang, saying that he was good at singing and performing, so he decided to play Guo Degang. Guo Degang had a two or three minute rap in his song and dance youth. It was not easy to record this rap. Chen Shizheng revealed that at that time, four sentences were taken for a long time, and the longest one was taken more than ten times. "Fortunately, Guo Degang is very interested in this and dedicated to it. He has always told me to come back again without any complaints."

About drama

Chen Shizheng's views on Drama

in the field of Western drama, whether the text is the basis of drama or the music is the basis of opera, but it seems that Chinese opera is not the main one. For example, Western opera can change the whole way of performance, but the music can remain unchanged. There are many performances and costumes in Chinese opera that are difficult to change. Even if you don't read the new version of Shakespeare's drama in the west, you can still enjoy the relationship with Juliet. When I was rehearsing operas in the west, my target was the contemporary western audience. No matter how old the story or music is, I must let the young audience know the interesting things in it.

Chinese PinYin : Chen Shi Zheng