The Research Of Chinese Avant-garde Drama

In the 1980 s, the avant-garde drama emerged in China and began to dazzle in Chinese drama. In the face of the increasingly crisis in drama, avant-garde drama made bold changes and innovations instead of clinging to the mode of Chinese traditional drama and was characterized by distinctive age style. During 30 year’s experimental development, avant-garde drama brought the small minority of drama into public life and drew more and more attention. Its incomparable influence and appeal has changed the pattern of Chinese drama to some extent, which traditional drama will never do. Thus it embarked on its path of modernization and began to shine on the international stage. Nevertheless, avant-garde drama problems came to light in the process of development, for instance, much importance was attached to its external forms and less to the theory building.Chapter one: The study on the background and the research status of the avant-garde drama creation as well as the purpose and significance of this research.Up to now, the research of Chinese avant-garde drama mainly concentrated in the plays record, characters study(directors and screenwriters art styles), plays and history studies; From these studies, we can found that people generally pay attention to the study of the plays’ style and classic works which created by Gao Xingjian, Meng Jinghui and Lin Zhaohua who are the great masters of the drama field. On the opposite, the study of the 30 years development on avant-garde drama has been paid a little attention to, not to mention more deeply. Therefore, the comprehensive study of Chinese avant-garde drama is very necessary and important. Figuring out the order and summarizing the avant-garde drama will enrich the theoretical study; Summing up the success and failure of the avant-garde drama will provide practical guidance for creation and performance.Chapter Two: "Pioneer" and "Chinese avant-garde drama"."Pioneer" was a military term in the earliest time and later it extended to the political, cultural and art fields. Soon afterwards, its connotation had great changes which emerged the characteristics of "frontier", "revolutionary" and “difficult breakthrough". Accordingly, those ideological trend and genres which break and innovate the traditional mode of the art are called the avant-garde.The avant-garde drama is the fusion of pioneer spirit and drama. On the special meaning, Chinese drama is a kind of avant-garde drama relative to the traditional opera. In this paper, the author discuses the avant-garde drama, which is also known as "experimental drama". Pioneer means to walk in the forefront of the times and the experiment means groping, attempt and found. The avant-garde form is novel and special, the content is profound and vanguard. The experimental refers to stage diversity exploration. Chinese avant-garde drama concerns Chinese people’s life contradictions, puzzles, diversity characters and people’s mind and soul after the reform and opening up. On the form, the avant-garde takes use of foreign avant-garde drama’s technique performance.Chapter Three: The background of the Chinese avant-garde drama emergence.After the cultural revolution, the Third Plenary Session of the 11 th Central Committee of the Communist opened people’s thoughts and eye, and the ideological liberation movements of all people followed close to another. The free social environment provides the foundation for the emergence of the avant-garde drama in China. At this time, literature and art no longer served for political and began to focus on the "humanism" which paid attention to the expression of human nature and also made the drama begin to transform. A large number of western dramas’ theories and works have been translated into Chinese, avant-garde dramatist who influenced by western modern dramas began to think the Chinese avant-garde drama’s development. The discussion of the views on drama has spawned Chinese avant-garde drama.Chapter Four: The 30 years development of avant-garde drama.From 1979 to now, the avant-garde drama has developed for more than 30 years. The development is divided into four aspects from avant-garde drama’s art style, rehearsal groups, pioneer characters and so on. Making states for the dramatists, directors and dramas which gave the outstanding contributions to the development of the avant-garde drama.Chapter Five: The research of the avant-garde drama.The reason why the avant-garde drama is different from the traditional drama is that it has made a bold innovation and practice in the three aspects on the performance, the stage and the script. It not only broke the "fourth wall" restrictions and to achieve the exchange of actors and audiences, but also gets a lot from the traditional drama. The western postmodernism also has a deep impact on the avant-garde drama.Chapter Six: The achievements and shortcomings of the avant-garde drama.The more than 30 years development of avant-garde drama has brought great changes to Chinese drama. It not only promotes the modernization of Chinese drama and made it into international stage, but also the birth of the avant-garde drama has changed the pattern of Chinese drama, so that the art of drama has a more rich way to develop. But there are problems which exist in the growth avant-garde that is worth our attention. The unstable basic theory limits its development, the lack of depth of thought make it tacky, as well as in the commercial background, the drama fall into the contradiction between commercial and pioneer. All these problems need us to think about.Chapter Seven: Summary.There are setbacks and successes during the development of the avant-garde drama. The real avant-garde drama, it should be full of the force with breakthrough, rebellion and the courage to fight with the decadent secular world. Facing with the problems that exist in the present moment, we should pay close attention to and think about the solutions.