Yanming Zhou: Enter a utopian world of drama and “escape from the earth”

Reporter's Diary:

June 14, 2021: 3rd Rehearsal Visit

It is the Dragon Boat Festival holiday today, but at the rehearsal venue in Tangsi Academy, not a single person is absent. The entire crew is immersed in the rehearsal of The Little Prince. There is no need to supervise or push them because everyone is driven by their passion for art. Their engagement and dedication made adults moved and proud of them. By now, the rehearsal of Act One has been completed and the rehearsal of Act Two is still going on. Today, once again, I will interview Zhou Yanming, director and scriptwriter for this drama festival, as well as Wang Zhige, the actor portraying the little prince and the designer of the ticket. One month has passed since the last interview. How is their work progressing? What new challenges and new gains have they encountered?

When we enter a utopian world of drama, and when we "escape from the earth", we can enjoy the drama festival with a light heart, burning passion, and profound love. To watch The Little Prince, you should harbor your love and reach your true destination.

Zhou Yanming: Enter a utopian world of drama and “escape from the earth”

10th grader of Beijing Keystone Academy, director, and scriptwriter of the Eclectic Drama Festival

Q: How is Eclectic Drama Festival getting along by now?

A: Drama Festival mainly includes three parts. One is the design and plan of the festival. We have assigned our roles, worked out the procedure, and arranged the schedule. Everything is on track now. Part two is the rehearsal of The Little Prince. Act One, which tells the prince’s story before he reaches the earth, has been completed. We are now rehearsing Act Two. The last part is the English monologues. All actors have recited their lines well. All props and costumes have been confirmed. So, the overall progress is quite satisfactory.

Q: How are the members of the creative team getting along and how are they dedicated to the show?

A: The team includes four students, who cooperate with each other seamlessly and increasingly have amazing chemistry. Though each member is responsible for a different part, they are not separated by the division of labor. When someone or some part needs help, all the others will offer a hand. The performance of other team members is also above my expectations. They not only act but also design tickets, invite clubs, and create music. By taking on so many roles, they still keep enthusiastic about drama, and I feel so touched by them.

Q: Since our last interview, have you encountered any new difficulties or challenges?

A: Difficulties come one after another and run through the whole process. In our first interview, I talked more about what I wanted to achieve. Now, more than one month has passed, and when I am thinking of how to implement these ideas, I have to balance between what can be achieved and what cannot. These all shake my previous utopian ideas. I need to make trade-offs by putting everything into realistic consideration. For example, I used to have the idea of making little princes “five in one”: five little princes walk into a big tent one by one and then they become one prince. However, I now realize that it would cost too much if we put up a super big tent. It seems not worthwhile to spend so much money on one scene. With such consideration, our team gave up this idea. This is how we made trade-offs. Actually, we encountered many similar choices and I feel these are all quite challenging.

Q: Have you ever envisaged the production of this play since you have finished the script. Does the current progress match your original expectation?

A: I did envisage the play when I finished the script. I visited the venue several times, so I had a rough idea in my mind, but it’s very idealized. The current progress is quite close to my expectation, and some even exceed my expectation.

Q: As a scriptwriter and director, what kind of experience are you most eager to gain this time?

A: First, I want to acquire experience as a scriptwriter and director. My learning experience starts from day one when I was just a novice who was determined to get the job done to the opening day of the drama festival. Everything that I’ve experienced during this process, including the production of an entire play and planning of a drama festival, is valuable to me because they are all that I am eager to learn. This is a rare opportunity for development for me as well as others who are involved. The second is the experience of self-expression. We used to try to figure out what others want to say, but this time we have the chances to be heard, viewed, and understood. This production is about us, not anyone else.

During the rehearsal and the preparation for the drama festival, I tried to realize every idea as long as it’s not too impractical. A director needs to reach the territory inaccessible to others. When you step out of your comfort zone, that may be the moment you arrive at your own “B612” planet.

Q: What touches you most during the rehearsal?

A: During the second rehearsal of Act One, I noticed an actress named Sanhao, who played the King. She used to have no interest in reading the script, but this time, among all actors in Act One, she recited her lines best. This made me aware of how drama could change a person. This change is valuable to her, to me, and to everyone else.

Q: As a director, how do you control your creation process?

A: The most important thing is not to control anything. While writing a script, I often cite many lines from the original novel. They are so beautiful and I cannot find any ways to make them more beautiful. Therefore, I let my ideas flow while planning the structure or lines. I am who I am, not any other person. I just express what I have in my mind. During the rehearsal and preparation for the drama festival, I try to realize every idea, as long as it is not too impractical. When you step out of your comfort zone, that may be the moment you arrive at your own “B612” planet.

Q: Do you have any special techniques for guiding young novice actors in rehearsals?

A: I think the most important thing is to use humor to reduce their embarrassment and fear of acting. Secondly, you can give them some freedom. For example, if they want to order a bubble tea, don’t interfere. Give them some satisfaction, and then they will listen to you more willingly. Thirdly, you need to use more exaggerated expressions. Some little girls are very shy, and they are reluctant to be dramatic, especially in front of a big audience. This is the time when a director does something dramatic, such as an exaggerated gesture, to motivate them to turn up their volume and perform boldly.

There is an important condition necessary to help an audience resonate with the play: the quality needs to be good. After viewing a play, an audience can develop their own understanding and insight and then deem it worthwhile to have spent money, energy, and time going to the theater.

Q: How do you make an audience resonate with a play?

A: There is an important condition necessary to help an audience resonate with the play: the quality needs to be good. After viewing a play, an audience can develop their own understanding and insight and then deem it worthwhile to have spent money, energy, and time going to the theater.

The essence of my ideas is that “the most important things are not seen with the eyes.” Of course, what is most important varies from person to person and is invisible to the eyes. Such things are reflected in our play The Little Prince. I arranged some “designed elements” in many scenes to gradually depict the difficulties the little prince encounters as a person. When the audience is watching this part of the play, they may feel touched because they have come across such difficulties in their own lives. Thus, resonance occurs.

Q: If every member on the creative team is invited to write a tip for us, what is yours?

A: You need to reach a territory inaccessible to others. Sometimes, it is totally okay to be crazy, and even to put aside rational judgment. You will come across various difficulties, just like what I met such as communication, conflict, time coordination, etc. But when we enter a utopian world of drama, and when we "escape from the earth", we can enjoy the drama festival with a light heart, burning passion, and profound love. To watch The Little Prince, you should harbor your love and reach your true destination.

Q: You recently won the role of Chang Shuhong in the play Dunhuang at your school. What do you think is your advantage?

A: First of all, my acting style fits this character. He is a vigorous young man during that period. More importantly, my experience as a director at the drama festival helps me better understand this character and why the director and scriptwriter created such a role. With such a “director’s perspective” or “scriptwriter’s perspective”, when I am reading the lines, I can better understand what it conveys and think of any gestures which can help express the writer’s ideas more effectively. With these perspectives, I put myself better into this role. When I am helping young actors to rehearse, I often demonstrate. Trying different roles can help me improve my acting skills. Compared to the last time when I was interviewing for the show Sir, I am more confident this time because I have a deep reflection on the role and lines. Such a refection is also part of my personal growth.