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FIRST฀PERFORMANC E฀O F฀BRECHT' S฀DRAMATI C฀WOR K฀ IN฀CHIN A฀- ฀TH E฀PRODUCTIO N฀O F฀MOTHE R฀COURAG E฀ A N D฀IT S฀STAG E฀DESIG N฀ Gong฀Boa n฀ In฀October ,฀195 9฀Bertol t฀Brecht' s฀famou s฀pla y฀Mothe r฀ Courage฀an d฀He r฀Childre n฀wa s฀performe d฀i n฀Shanghai :฀th e฀ first฀tim e฀thi s฀distinguishe d฀playwright' s฀wor k฀wa s฀stage d฀ in฀China .฀Althoug h฀Brecht' s฀play s฀an d฀hi s฀dramati c฀ theories฀wer e฀no t฀familia r฀t o฀th e฀Chines e฀people ,฀thi s฀ performance฀receive d฀muc h฀attentio n฀i n฀ever y฀corne r฀o f฀ China.฀Th e฀pla y฀wa s฀translate d฀b y฀Su n฀Fengcheng฀an d฀Fen g฀ Zhi฀an d฀wa s฀performe d฀b y฀th e฀Shangha i฀People' s฀ A r t฀ Theatre฀unde r฀th e฀directio n฀o f฀Huan g฀Zuolin .฀Th e฀heroin e฀ was฀playe d฀b y฀th e฀famou s฀actres s฀Danni ,฀wh o฀ha d฀playe d฀ successfully฀man y฀differen t฀character s฀o n฀th e฀stage .฀Th e฀ music฀scor e฀wa s฀compose d฀b y฀creativ e฀musicians ,฀an d฀thu s฀ the฀artisti c฀qualit y฀o f฀th e฀pla y฀wa s฀ensured .฀ It฀shoul d฀b e฀note d฀tha t฀althoug h฀Brecht' s฀dramati c฀ theories฀an d฀play s฀hav e฀onl y฀recentl y฀bee n฀introduce d฀int o฀ China฀(no t฀a s฀earl y฀a s฀int o฀European ,฀America n฀an d฀Eas t฀ Asian฀countries) ,฀an d฀onl y฀a ฀fe w฀o f฀hi s฀play s฀an d฀theorie s฀ had฀bee n฀translate d฀int o฀Chinese ,฀th e฀stud y฀o f฀Brecht' s฀ dramatic฀theorie s฀an d฀th e฀practic e฀thereo f฀wa s฀starte d฀a s฀ early฀a s฀th e฀Fifties .฀Huan g฀Zuoli n฀wa s฀th e฀firs t฀perso n฀t o฀ introduce฀Brecht' s฀theorie s฀t o฀th e฀dramatist s฀i n฀Shanghai .฀ In฀195 1฀h e฀experimente d฀wit h฀Brecht' s฀epi c฀theatrica l฀ method฀i n฀creatin g฀an d฀directin g฀hi s฀play ,฀Resis t฀th e฀U S฀ and฀Assis t฀Kore a฀- ฀Bi g฀Movin g฀Posters .฀Durin g฀th e฀ rehearsals฀o f฀thi s฀play ,฀h e฀delivere d฀a ฀scholarl y฀lectur e฀t o฀ the฀peopl e฀involve d฀i n฀th e฀performance ,฀givin g฀a n฀overvie w฀ of฀th e฀dramaticall y฀artisti c฀characteristic s฀o f฀Brecht' s฀Epi c฀ Theatre.฀O n฀tha t฀occasion ,฀w e฀learne d฀fo r฀th e฀firs t฀tim e฀ something฀abou t฀Brecht' s฀dramati c฀art .฀Eve n฀thoug h฀wha t฀ we฀ha d฀learne d฀wa s฀rathe r฀shallow ,฀hi s฀tal k฀stimulate d฀ou r฀ 66 Gong฀Boa n฀ interest฀i n฀Brecht' s฀earl y฀play s฀an d฀th e฀performin g฀method s฀ in฀hi s฀Epi c฀Theatre ,฀an d฀opene d฀u p฀th e฀possibilit y฀o f฀usin g฀ his฀performin g฀method s฀furthe r฀o n฀th e฀Chines e฀stage .฀Th e฀ Shanghai฀performanc e฀o f฀Mothe r฀Courag e฀wa s฀th e฀concret e฀ result฀o f฀Huang' s฀pioneering฀endeavour .฀ We฀kno w฀tha t฀i n฀Brecht' s฀play s฀he ,฀a s฀a ฀poe t฀an d฀a฀ playwright,฀devote s฀al l฀hi s฀energ y฀t o฀revealin g฀th e฀sic k฀ society฀an d฀th e฀wickednes s฀o f฀capitalis m฀an d฀imperialism .฀ His฀dramati c฀theorie s฀an d฀method s฀focu s฀o n฀on e฀point ,฀i.e .฀ to฀mak e฀th e฀audienc e฀kee p฀a ฀clea r฀hea d฀t o฀thin k฀o f฀wha t฀ has฀happene d฀o n฀th e฀stage .฀Thus ,฀th e฀playwrigh t฀use s฀al l฀ possible฀mean s฀t o฀develo p฀i n฀th e฀audienc e฀a n฀investigativ e฀ and฀critica l฀attitud e฀t o฀understan d฀th e฀objectiv e฀truth .฀ This฀i s฀the฀didacti c฀purpos e฀o f฀hi...

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