The Development Of Original Musical Theatre In China:Issues And Challenges

Musical theatre,which emerged in the US and Europe during the 20th century,combines music,theatre,dance and art into a comprehensive theatrical art.Shen Chengzhou's National Theatre Symposium presentation of the American "musical" in 1980,a staged art form originating from the western world,is generally considered to mark the beginning of the Chinese musical theatre history,which spreads over close to 40 years.Musical theatre experts and scholars have studied various aspects of the field over the years:ontology research,business operation exploration,creative research,teaching practice,etc.Most of these studies are presented as individual papers,focusing each on one single part of musical art or market operation process.As for the various problems that have arisen in the development of Chinese original musicals,most still don t have established solutions.Years of experience in the area of musical theatre have allowed the author to consider these issues from the perspective of a director,a teacher and a scholar.Based on their practical experience on the subject,the author has identified major issues in the development of Chinese musical theatre,and proposes possible solutions for these.Musical theatre is a particular type of cultural product,and as such presents both artistic and economic characteristics.As a dance art form,its development has been influenced in its early stage by various restrictions,to then be later influenced by the emergence of the art and various operation aspects.The development of the Chinese musical theatre should therefore be studied from two perspectives:art and business on the one hand,and early/late stage on the other hand.Focusing on only one of those perspectives makes it impossible to find answers to the challenges faced by musical theatre in its current form.This article focuses on the early impact of the various issues met during the creative process-an internal driver to its evolution;it also shows how its later emergence and how the economic factors can be seen as an external driver to its development.Internal drivers include the four main elements of the creative process:cultural environment,script writing,musical creation,and issues specific to the Chinese libretto.External drivers re ate to the two aforementioned factors:the late period emergence as well as its operational aspects.In this article,the author analyses all these drivers and discusses their impact on the development of Chinese musical theatre,placing emphasis on the internal ones.