The Intercultural Process of Creating Jingju Adaptations of Western Literature in the 21st Century

Abstract

This dissertation examines the methods and process of creating jingju adaptations of Western Literature highlighted through five case studies: Zhuli Xiaojie (《朱丽小姐》Miss Julie), Xiaoli zhisi (《小吏之死》The Little Servant Who Died), Woyicaike (《沃伊采克》Woyzeck), Fushide (《浮士德》Faust), and Shengmuyuan/Qingshang zhonglou (《圣母院》/《情殇钟楼》Notre Dame de Paris). These case studies presented unique and different challenges, which were solved with a variety of adaptation methods in pursuit of two unofficial but pervasive goals: 1) to creatively challenge and inspire jingju artists and 2) to bring in younger and new audiences in order to revitalize jingju. In order to face the specific challenges for each production, the creative teams, made up of actors, playwrights, composers, directors, and set, costume, and lighting designers, utilized different methods of adaptation ranging from changing the cultural context from the West to China, to mixing Western and jingju conventions, to bending jingju’s Four Main Skills and role categories. The methods, utilized by the National China Jingju Company and the Shanghai Jingju Company, and the dynamics of their respective creative teams are analyzed via Marvin Carlson’s Seven Intercultural Relationships, which highlights the varying relationships of intercultural theatre. In the 21st century, jingju practitioners are choosing to remain in the Chinese cultural context, creating jingju performances that revitalize jingju as a form of Cultural Nationalism, while also adhering to traditional jingju traditions and practices.