Jinghan Zhang: Drama makes me challenge myself in the role

The power of drama can go deep into one’s life. When you perform, you need to put yourself in the role and even become that role, rather than just act it. You are him, and he is you. You need to convey yourself so as to attract the audience into that role too.

Jinghan Zhang

18 years old

Capital University of Economics and Business

Vice-director and host of the Drama Festival

Q：As the vice-director, host, and actor of the drama festival, how do you comment on the festival?

A：I think the drama festival is a great success. Although there were some minor flaws in our preparation and performance, they didn't affect the whole picture, so the overall performance was quite good.

Q：Now that the festival has ended, can you “replay” how you were feeling?

A：When the festival was coming to an end, on one side, I was very happy. Anyway, after two months’ busy work, it’s finally done, and I felt relieved. On the other side, I had a sense of loss. We spent so much time preparing for the festival, and when the pressure was removed, a sense of emptiness inevitably reached us.

Q：If you were asked to pick out top three most memorable moments during the whole process, starting from preparation to performance, which three would you choose?

A：The first was the moment when I entered the preparation group. I had just finished the university entrance exam, so I was eager to experience how working feels like. My job then was to select video materials. I worked from 10 am to 6 pm. This kind of “full-time” work was something that I had never experienced before. It’s truly unforgettable.

The second moment was when Jiahe, the acting teacher, was giving us professional acting guidance. One activity was to “liberate nature”. To act, you need to open yourself and show the best of you to the audience. At that time, all the actors were standing on the trampoline, forming a circle, and relieving themselves by screaming and jumping. To be honest, I am not a very open person, so this experience is totally new to me.

The third moment happened on the day of the festival. That day was so tough and complicated. It started at 2 pm and finished at 11 pm. During the whole process, what I was most impressed by was the curtain call of all our cast members when the performance was over. Actually, it was not part of our plan. We discussed it and decided to add it on the spot. As the host, I had to improvise because it was not in my script. At that time, some audience members offered flowers and children gave small gifts. I was so moved at that moment. A drama production aims for an audience, and it is really so gratifying to be recognized by the audience.

Q：You started to prepare for the drama festival immediately after the university entrance exam. Were you feeling stressed out?

A：Not at all. Nothing is more difficult than the university entrance exam. Actually, I was a bit uneasy when I suddenly felt relaxed after the exam. I needed to have this activity in my life. It turned out that the festival eventually enriched my life.

Q：We can see many ingenious ideas and creative designs in the hosting, games, and activities during the breaks. How did you create and then implement all these things?

A：This is actually a bit complicated. When I joined the team, there was no activity design. There was only rehearsal of The Little Prince and English monologues.

Later, we began to design some activities that could be done at the festival, such as physical drama, band show, etc. These activities were well planned by fixing the time and content in advance.

In addition, we needed to design something to connect the show. We began to think about what to do at a certain time, such as what guidance should be offered before the audience have dinner, and what we can offer to them after they finish the dinner. Also, the audience’s entry to and exit from the venue needed to be well planned. Every tent on the site was supposed to be a “planet” of this festival, so it was supposed to have its unique design fitting the characteristics of that “planet”.

To take the King Planet for example. King stands for the supreme power, so we take this as the starting point to create tasks. On the planet of vanity, vainglorious people surely will invite applause from the audience. We tried to exhibit its unique characteristics in such small interactive games that the audience would love it and immerse themselves in it.

Q：Have you ever been exposed to drama? What challenges did you come across during your participation in this festival?

A：I’ve never been exposed to drama before, so I came across various difficulties in both the preparation for the festival and the acting of the play. For example, in terms of acting, since I played the role of drunkard, who had very few lines, I had to create some more lines. These lines should be consistent with the story and should be performed naturally. Both were very challenging for me. Later, after receiving professional guidance from the drama teacher, which helped me improve my acting skills, I added laughter and gesture of dropping the wine bottle. These were not easy. Actually, it was difficult to laugh onstage because you need to find a perfect timing, a suitable feeling, and a natural way to laugh. In this way, the audience would think my laugh is real, not artificial.

As for the preparation for the festival, we needed to design activities for the intervals of the performance, starting from the morning, afternoon, and then to the evening. Each step was delicately designed so that the audience could feel comfortable. This was also a challenge.

Q：After participating in the drama festival, how do you feel about the power of drama?

A：The power of drama can go deep into one’s life. When you perform, you need to put yourself in the role and even become that role, rather than just act it. You are him, and he is you. You need to convey yourself so as to attract the audience into that role too. You should make the audience believe the person who is standing before them is a real little prince or a real drunkard. A drunkard should love drinking, and the little prince should be diligent, inquisitive, and curious.

Q：Do you have any suggestions on drama education for your peers?

A：My suggestion is quite simple: to watch and listen more. By getting exposed to what you do not know, you will open a door to a new world.

Q：Congratulations on your upcoming university life. What major will you study at the university? What are your plans and expectations for your new stage of life?

A：My university major is labor economics. It’s rarely known, and it comes with our country’s special characteristics. Currently, I do not know much about it, but I think it will include courses like human resources, labor management, social security, and so on. This major fits my wishes to know more people. Actually, this is also related to drama. Drama aims to convey ideas to others, and this is what I like.