Fight Or Play:Zhang Xian’s Theatre Practice(from2005to2013)

After2000, many new born folk troupes and alternative drama symbols appeared in Shanghai. These kinds of theatre forms are outside the umbrella of the government. They are fringe. To this day, the academics haven’t paid high attention on the topic, therefore monographs and dissertations are still quite rare. That is to say, this paper definitely has its own specific sense in contemporary theatre research of Shanghai. The author will discuss the following issues:under the control of capital and official culture, what is contemporary theatre of Shanghai? I choose Zhang Xian who is a prominent figure in Shanghai art scene and Zuhe Niao art troupe founded by him as the paradigm of contemporary theatre of Shanghai. In recent years, Zhang Xian’s theatre practices have turned from modern drama to physical theatre. He makes attempt on concepts and bodies, and this kind of experiment has cross-linking with contemporary art. This article will work on the significance of Zhang’s transformation and the validity of body in his play. What’s more, this paper will also analyze the postmodern aesthetic factors in his late work. Through further description on Zhang Xian’s late theatre work, this author focuses on the internal relation between Zhang Xian and contemporary theatre of Shanghai. The writer hopes that the thesis could help people to know more about the development trend of contemporary theatre of Shanghai.