The Orphan of Zhao (Zhaoshi guer)
Genre: huaju (modern spoken drama)
Produced by the Heibai Drama Society, Zhejiang University, 2009
Director: Gui Ying
Script: Wang Jinjing, Li Heyi
Performers: Li Guanwen, Han Jiachen, Yu Songhe, Wei Chengyuan
Scenario:
The Orphan of Zhao is a play based on historical records. [Link to the Exhibition] The orphan was born circa 583 BC during the Spring-Autumn Period – a time when imperial power was being eroded by the growth of numerous aristocratic-family-states. Appalled by the chaos and bloodshed, philosophers such as Confucius (551-479 BC) acted as advisors to rulers on how to control their states and people.
Historical records present contradictory accounts of the story. Most versions of different theatrical genres and films we see now are based on the extant full-length tragedy Wrongs Avenged by the Orphan of Zhao by Ji Junxiang, written in the Yuan dynasty when China was ruled by the Mongols (1279-1368 AD).
The basic story is as follows: schemed by the evil courtier Tu’an Gu, the Zhao clan were all killed except for the Princess who was the Jin Ruler’s sister and was pregnant. After the baby was born, he was smuggled out by a doctor called Cheng Ying. Having realized that the baby boy had escaped, Tu’an Gu gave the order to kill all the newly born boys in the country. Finally, Cheng Ying decided to give up his own child for the Zhao orphan. Meanwhile Cheng Ying and his friend, a retired minister Gongsun Chujiu made a plan. Cheng would report to Tu’an about Gongsun who had the Zhao orphan in his house. Actually the real Zhao orphan was hidden in the deep mountain while Cheng’s own baby son was with Gongsun. Tu’an killed both Gongsun and the child. In order to reward Cheng Ying as a loyal reporter, Tu’an took both Cheng Ying and his son (but actually Zhao’s offspring) to his house and Tu’an made himself the foster father of the boy.16 years later, Cheng Ying revealed the true story to the young man. The orphan of Zhao took the revenge on Tu’an, for his parents, grandparents, his clan and for Cheng Ying. In order to rescue this orphan many people died.
This is an archetypal Chinese story of loyalty, honesty, sacrifice, friendship, evil, revenge, bravery, and justice.
Heibai Drama Society’s performance of The Orphan of Zhao aimed to draw more students to the theatre, helping them obtain a deeper understanding of Chinese classic theatre on stage. It was a production created from the perspective of contemporary Chinese university students.
The Heibai Drama Society, Zhejiang University is one of the leading university student amateur theatre groups in China and its history goes back to students’ patriotic involvement in the anti-Japanese invasion in 1937 when the Japanese army occupied Beijing and Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China.
This clip is a trailer of the production that the Heibai Drama Society made for the Leeds international symposium Performing China on the Global Stage, held in March 2013.
Images and the video are courtesy of the Heibai Drama Society, Zhejiang University.
《赵氏孤儿》
剧种：话剧
演出单位：浙江大学黑白剧社
剧本改编： 王瑾璟、 李和一
导演：桂迎
演员：李冠文、韩佳辰、余松鹤、魏呈远
剧情简介：
《赵氏孤儿》是一个春秋时代的故事。〔LINK 展览〕。据史书记载，孤儿出生于公元前583年左右。当时受到“分封制”诸侯日益强大势力的侵蚀，周王权日益衰微，诸侯争霸称雄，战争与血腥屠杀连年不断。同时，诸子百家学说开始出现，并试图就如何管理国家和人民等等给予统治者以哲学性的思考。
史书有着互相矛盾的关于赵氏孤儿的记载。我们现在所看到的各种戏剧形式和电影版本基本上来自于元代纪君祥的《冤报冤赵氏孤儿》。
大致故事如下：奸臣屠岸贾设计将与自己不和的赵氏家族满门抄斩，唯一幸免的是已有身孕的、赵朔的妻子庄姬，她是晋王室的公主。男婴出生以后，就被一位叫作程婴的医生想办法带出了宫苑。当屠岸贾听说婴儿已经逃遁，便下令杀死举国上下所有在这段时期内出生的男婴。几经考量，程婴决定献出自己的亲生儿子以保全赵家唯一的骨血。与此同时，程婴和老友、已经告老还家的公孙杵臼安排了救孤的计划。程婴前往屠岸贾处报告公孙杵臼藏匿了赵氏的孤儿，而实际上，真正赵家的孤儿被藏在深山之中，而公孙那里的婴儿恰恰是程婴自己的孩子。屠岸贾杀死了公孙杵臼和婴儿，为报答程婴举报之功，他把程婴及其儿子（是真正的赵氏孤儿）接回自己家里，好生款待，并把男孩作为自己的养子来呵护养育。孤儿长大成人以后，程婴将孤儿的身世告诉了他本人。为给自己的父母、祖父母、赵氏家族以及为程婴报仇，孤儿杀死了屠岸贾。为了拯救孤儿，诸多英雄献出自己的生命。
《赵氏孤儿》是关于忠义、诚信、牺牲、友情、奸佞、报仇、勇猛和正义的中国原型。
浙江大学黑白剧社排演该剧的目的是为了让更多学子走进剧场，在舞台上深入理解中国经典戏剧。这部作品呈现了当代中国大学生所认识的《赵氏孤儿》。
浙江大学的黑白剧社在全中国大学生演剧中首屈一指，它的戏剧活动从1937年就已开展并传承至今。
本片断是黑白剧社在2013年为国际研究互联网项目“舞台中国”召开国际会议“寰球演出中国”时专门制作的有关该剧演出的短片。
诚挚感谢浙江大学黑白剧社提供图片与录像。
