Four Pillars

In a theater troupe or a troupe, the head and shoulder actors of the four professions of niche, female actor, old student and clown are called "four pillars", which is equivalent to a building. The four pillars on the stage illustrate their importance to the theater troupe's performance business. In the 1920s and 1930s, the "four pillars" became the basic system of actors in the Yue Opera troupe. This was a reference to the "two small" (Xiaodan, clown) and "three small" (Xiaodan, niche, clown) systems of early Yue Opera. inheritance and development.

Six Stigma

The head and shoulder actors in the six professions of the opera troupe: Xiaosheng, Hua Dan, Lao Sheng, Clown, Lao Dan, and Da Mian (big painted face) are called "Six Stigma". In the early days of Yue Opera, Lao Dan and Da Mian were not paid much attention to. There is a saying that "Lao Dan has a colorful face and gets copper coins when he eats". Since the establishment of the Gaosheng Stage Class in 1930, leading talents have emerged in each of the six professions. Since the mid-1930s, some large theater troupes (troupes) with complete lineups have had a "six-pillar" actor combination system. This is the development of the "four pillars" system.

Shoulders and Cards

In the 1930s and 1940s, the division of labor and status of actors in Yue Opera troupes and troupes were called. "Shoulder" is used for internal division of labor, and "brand" is used for external publicity. "Shoulder" originally refers to the weight of the shoulder, which is used to express the weight of the role that an actor can perform. In a certain line of work, the person who plays the most important role is called the "head and shoulders", the second most important person is called the "two shoulders", and so on. In the Yue Opera troupe, there are the most niche and Hua Dan actors, so there are "six-shoulder niche" and "seven-shoulder Dan". The field master or director allocates roles based on "shoulders". A certain role is played by "head and shoulders", and a certain role is played by "four shoulders". They only need to be assigned according to routine, without naming them. Among young students and Hua Dan actors, the "Three Shoulders" are generally more difficult to take on, and are more likely to rise to the top, because if the "Two Shoulders" cannot perform for some reason, the "Two Shoulders" role is too heavy to be replaced, and the "Three Shoulders" will often take over. "Head and Shoulders" appeared. "Pai" refers to the reputations advertised to the outside world, regardless of industry. Only the three most popular actors in the class (troupe) are selected as the first, second, and third names (occasionally there are also four names). For example, in the early 1940s, the listing order of the Shanghai Dangui Troupe was: Xiao Dangui (Hua Dan) in the first place, Jia Lingfeng (Chou) in the second place, and Zhang Xiangqing (Xiaosheng) in the third place. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the troupe system changed, and the titles "shoulder" and "pai" were gradually diluted.

Head and shoulders

Refers to the fact that there are two actors in the troupe who are equally famous and remunerated. For example, two Hua Dan with two shoulders are called "Tou and Shoulder", and two Hua Dan with two shoulders are called "Tou and Shoulder". The same goes for other businesses.

The bucket and the joker

The bucket is a trivial piece of equipment, and the joker can be combined with various cards to form a game. In the early stage of the theater, it was used as a metaphor for miscellaneous students who studied various trades and had no expertise. But there is a certain type of actor that is missing. It is characterized by a wide range of acting skills, strong ability to imitate and adapt to changes, and good at cooperating with all kinds of actors. However, there is a slight difference between the two. Bedou usually only plays supporting roles or trivial characters, often clowns; Joker, in addition to playing supporting roles, can sometimes also play the leading role, and is not limited to clowns. Some actors who later became famous mostly worked in various roles after graduating from college. For example, when Yin Guifang came to Ningbo with the Dahua Stage Troupe in 1933, she played all kinds of roles, both civil and military, good and bad, men and women, old and young. It was not until 1934 that she specialized in niche roles and was promoted to the main stage.

The master of the scene (the master of the barrel)

In the early Yue opera, the master assigned actors and decided the scenes of the plot. Before the play is performed, he will tell the actors the plot outline, sequence of scenes, and roles in the play, and assign actors according to their roles. He will also explain in detail the identity, age, costumes, props, how to enter the stage, how to end the stage, etc. of each character. His responsibilities are similar. Director Yu. During the performance, the stage manager sits behind the entrance door. While watching the performance on the stage, he urges the actors in the next stage to get ready. He is called "the stage manager", and his responsibilities are similar to those of a stage manager. Because the role of the craftsman is like hooping scattered wooden boards into a whole, he is nicknamed the "bucket master". The field master is suitable for the old opera troupe to perform the "road opera" with stage schedules. Since the late 1930s, Yue opera troupes have gradually switched to the choreographer system, and the field master has gradually completed its historical mission and changed to a master specializing in teaching old opera.

Malay, Wanlai

When the Yue Opera performs the first scene, the backstage master signals the actors on stage to speed up the performance. The code word is "Ma Lai" and instructs the actors on stage to slow down the performance. The code word for speed is "turn around".

Job-hopping

For the sake of their own development, actors leave their original troupe to go to another troupe to improve their artistic status and living conditions. This is called "job-hopping" in the industry. When actors "change jobs", their second shoulder often becomes their first shoulder, and their third shoulder becomes their second shoulder, or the second shoulder of a small troupe goes to a large troupe to sing the second shoulder, all of which move up a level to varying degrees.

Knocking on the shell

Refers to the initial script writing process that was popular in Shanghai Yue opera circles in the 1940s, also called "knocking on the outline". After the playwright chooses a theme to formulate a story, he needs to finalize the shell with the drama company's drama department before entering the writing stage. Knocking on the shell has two meanings: one is to finalize the shell of the plot and scene, and the other is to finalize the shell of the character design. The plot and scenes must suit the taste of the Yue Opera audience. For example, the plot needs to be sad, the costumes need to be gorgeous, the scenes need to be rich, and the male and female protagonists can "see off" (curtain call) at the end, etc. The character design must be suitable for the actual situation of the actors in the troupe. For example, the strengths of the first and second actors must be used as much as possible. Each of the six pillars must have a heavier role. The number of roles for all characters is generally allocated according to the size of the actor's salary. Therefore, cracking the shell is quite troublesome, but crucial.

Niang

Female Shaoxing opera troupes or privately trained apprentices call their masters "Niang". "Niang", in Shengxian dialect, is pronounced like "Niyang" without the voice. It is a general term for aunt and aunt. It is used in the relationship between master and apprentice, and it means closeness. However, there are also apprenticeship ceremonies or signing of "Guan Shu" contracts. Some masters are quite strict and even use their apprentices as maids. After becoming a master, the apprentice will take a name from the master, usually by adding a small or "xiao" character to the master's stage name. For example, among Yin Guifang's apprentices there are Xiao Guifang and Yin Xiaofang. Xiao Fu Quanxiang (Xue Ying) is Fu Quanxiang's disciple. The title "Niang" began in the late 1930s and gradually disappeared after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

During the Duban and Shaoxing literary opera periods, beating gongs and drums was a form of attracting the audience before the performance. Since most performances were performed in rural areas at that time, non-gongs and drums were not enough to attract the audience. Spectators. There are two types: Wen Touchang and Wu Touchang. The former was mostly used during the Duban period, and the latter was mostly used during the Shaoxing literary opera period. Wentou field uses "Shao knocking", that is, Shao opera sound instruments and Shao opera gongs and drums. The sound instruments include drum boards, big drums, big cymbals, big gongs, small gongs, water cymbals, etc. The gongs and drums are passed through [three hat heads], [artillery], and [ It consists of "underwater gong", "swallowing head" and "yin gong". Wu Touchang uses "Beijing knocking", that is, it uses Peking opera sound instruments and Peking opera gongs and drums. The sound instruments include drum boards, Beijing drums, Beijing gongs, large gongs, small cymbals, small gongs, etc. The gongs and drums are passed through [Ji Ji Feng] and [Zou Ma Gong and Drum] , [Punch], [Tap], [Half Hammer], [Horse Leg], [Underwater Fish], [Close Head], etc. Compared with the two kinds of opening scenes, the latter is more lively and fiery, so the former is called "Wen" and the latter is called "Wu". After entering the urban theater from the countryside, beating gongs and drums seemed to be too noisy, so the Peking Opera tune "Deep Night" was used instead of "beating the head". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, theater art developed day by day, and "knocking on the head" came to an end.

The Second Tradition

Refers to the new artistic model of Yue Opera gradually formed after Yuan Xuefen launched the "New Yue Opera" banner and took the lead in reform in 1942, and various Yue opera troupes competed to explore. It is different from the original traditions of Duban and Shaoxing literary opera periods. It includes four basic contents: First, combine the realistic expression techniques of dramas and movies with the virtual techniques of traditional opera, so that Yue Opera can embark on a performance path that integrates freehand brushwork and realism; second, establish a drama department, which will organize, compile, and direct The organic collaboration between the , acting, music and art departments makes the troupe a creative collective where each department creates independently and can integrate with each other; 3. Abolish the role system, establish a director system, and focus on the practical significance and characters of the play Shape the image and embody the theme, pursue the overall beauty of stage art, and form an art production system with the director as the core and reform and innovation as the goal; fourth, learn Kun Opera postures and enhance the danceability and standardization of Yue Opera performance movements, thereby forming Yue Opera is unique in its beautiful, meticulous and lyrical performance style. The effective reforms in these four aspects have promoted the innovation of various departments of Yue Opera art.

For example, in terms of music singing, we created "Chi Diao" and "Xian Xi Diao" to enrich and improve the Banqiu system of Yue Opera music, and basically abolished the gong and drum routines of Peking Opera and Shao Opera. We drew lessons from the music processing of dramas and movies, and based on the needs of the plot and atmosphere. The composition and soundtrack enhanced the lyricism; in terms of makeup, when performing new plays, facial makeup, gouache, Baotou, and patches were abolished, and the oil makeup method of dramas that conformed to the aesthetic concepts of the time was used. Design; Costumes In the new play, the traditional typified costumes regardless of dynasties, regions, and seasons are abolished, and they are designed separately according to the needs of the characters, and the styles, patterns, materials, and tones of Yue opera costumes are light and elegant. Unique style... The above-mentioned reforms were generally finalized on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, making Yue Opera unique and vibrant among many types of opera. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the support and guidance of the People's Government, the reform and development of Yue Opera further deepened. By the mid-1950s, it was fully mature and entered its heyday when high-quality works were produced one after another, spread across the country, and enjoyed overseas reputation. The "second tradition" of Yue Opera not only changed the image of Yue Opera itself, but also had an impact on the reform of the entire national opera. The Yue Opera circle also refers to the new plays written and performed during the Yue Opera reform period in the 1940s as "the second traditional Yue Opera repertoire".

The squad leader system

The management system of the women's Yue Opera troupe came into being after the establishment of the professional class in the early 1930s. There are two types of troupe leaders. One is when several people jointly start a troupe (often starting from a major), and one of them acts as the troupe leader on behalf of the shareholder; the other is when an individual or several people invest in buying a troupe, and the person in charge of leading the troupe is the troupe leader. During the operation of the theater, all internal and external affairs are decided by the squad leader, and the actors have no right to interfere. However, the birth, old age, illness, and death of the cast members have nothing to do with the squad leader; two days are deducted from the total monthly performance income, which belongs to the squad leader, and the rest is distributed to the performers according to the squad leader's likes and dislikes. Staff wages (work wages are extremely low). Since the squad leader system is obviously feudal, in addition to economic exploitation, the personal safety of actresses is often not guaranteed. After a large number of female theater troupes entered Shanghai in the late 1930s, the squad leader system was quickly replaced by the "boss system".

Boss system

The management system of Yue Opera theater. A theater owned by a sole proprietorship or a joint venture has one person as the boss. All expenses and income in the theater are controlled by the boss, and the performers are also hired by the boss. The salary of actors and actresses is agreed upon individually by the boss and the employee, and adopts the "money package system" and the "contract system". That is, regardless of whether the business is good or bad, the actors and actresses have a fixed income every month during the contract period, and each actor is guaranteed money and kept confidential from each other. The salary increase and decrease, the combination of personnel, the choice of plays, the number of performances, etc. are all decided by the boss. The actors and actresses have become mere employees and have no other rights except receiving the salary on a monthly basis.

Sister class

The abbreviation of "sister class system". The management system of Yue opera troupes and theater troupes is similar to a cooperative, which is a cooperative system of voluntary combinations. There are three situations: as early as the 1930s and 1940s, during the slow summer business period, the theater troupe stopped performing during the "summer break". In order to make ends meet, ordinary actors and actresses with less savings formed a temporary small team to perform, and the ticket prices were divided according to an agreed ratio every day. The result was named "sister class"; secondly, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Shanghai's prices skyrocketed, the current situation was turbulent, and most theaters were in poor business. Some bosses and actors and actresses jointly formed a class to jointly maintain the performance and share the shares according to the agreed ratio. P&L, also known as "sister class". In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, under the guidance of the People's Government, the Yue opera industry abolished the boss system and formed private professional theater troupes with the main actors as the core. The term "sister class" is still used. However, at this time, it has become a relatively complete cooperative. Its highest authority is the general meeting of all members, and all major issues must be approved by it. The organization responsible for handling the resolutions of the league members meeting and daily affairs is the league affairs committee with the chief and deputy league leader (usually the main actor) as the core. Generally, a theater troupe with a complete scale has a general affairs department, a drama department, a music group, a wing group (managing costumes and props), and an actor group under the Youth League Committee to share various tasks; in addition to the Youth League Committee, there is also a supervisory committee responsible for supervision. The number of people in the troupe ranges from seventy or eighty to thirty or forty. In this kind of sister class, everyone gets corresponding compensation according to the size of their contribution as assessed by the ***, and operating profits and losses are also shared according to the ratio of each person's income. Compared with the sister classes that were temporarily formed before the founding of the People's Republic of China, although they have made great progress, the salary gap between actors and actresses is still large. The highest can reach 2,000 to 3,000 yuan, while the lowest is only 60 to 70 yuan. At the same time, due to the need to take care of the main actors In order to save face, some redundant personnel were used, which invisibly reduced the economic benefits of the entire group; the rules and regulations were also imperfect, and it was often the main actors who had the final say.

Therefore, the sister class system is not perfect.

Long legs

One of the traditional forms of opera advertising. It began in the late Qing Dynasty and was still followed during the female Shaoxing literary and opera period. Especially when performing in urban and rural areas of Zhejiang, this kind of mobile advertising was more effective. After entering Shanghai, its use gradually decreased. After the daily drama is determined, several people at the front desk, commonly known as "Longjiao" (or "Longren"), set off separately, carrying a long-handled wooden sign on their shoulders, writing the day's drama and the main actors, and beating gongs (or gongs) as they go. Ring a bell) and shout loudly to attract people. In early 1938, when Yuesheng Stage, led by Yao Shuijuan, performed at the Commerce Theater, the verbal advertisement for "Long Foot" was as follows: "Duban, a newly arrived Shanghai girl from Shaoxing, took the stage at the Commerce Theater on the first day of the first lunar month. Dozens of young girls, The performance is pure and ugly, with beady throat and beautiful appearance, both erotic and artistic, brand-new! The matinee performance of "Benevolence and Righteousness" and the night performance of "Agarwood Fan" are full of joys and sorrows, and gimmicks. Don't reserve too many tickets. If you want to buy, please hurry up. Hurry!"

Road show

Terminology, also known as "screen show". There is no script and fixed lyrics, only the story frame and the outline of the scene ("act list"). Before the performance of a new play, the stage master will explain the outline of the story, the names of the characters and their mutual relationships, and the key players will walk around the stage to show their status. During the formal performance, the actors improvise according to the performance outline prescribed by the master, commonly known as "beating the road". In order to prevent the actors from having difficulty with their words on stage, the masters often teach some "fuzi" (see another article) when practicing arts. At the same time, in all road scenes, there are often "roads" to follow in the plot, such as "traveling", "staying in the hotel", "garden", "bridal robbery", "court", "prison visit", etc. are all commonly used scenes. Actors can improvise and make improvisations based on the Fuzi they have learned and their performance experience. This performance method began in Wenming Opera and Caotai Troupe Peking Opera in Shanghai and southern Jiangsu after the Revolution of 1911. Early Yue Opera followed this method, and gradually decreased after the 1940s.