Xiao Qingfeng and Li Guonong arrived at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Academy together.
It was early autumn, and the leaves on the trees on campus were beginning to turn slightly yellow. Occasionally, a few leaves would drift down, like dancing butterflies.
Sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, creating dappled patterns that evoke a sense of tranquility and warmth.
Li Guonong has already communicated with the academy about the casting. This is not the first time Li Guonong has entered the drama academy for casting, so he is very experienced.
Moreover, the Shanghai Theatre Academy is ultimately a campus, a place for teaching and nurturing people. Unlike other places, if you want to select actors here, you naturally need to communicate in advance.
The college provided them with a large, bright, and well-equipped studio.
Having received advance notice, the students were already waiting in the audience!
Li Guonong's assistant prepared about one hundred excerpts from the script, five scenes each for the male and female leads, and quickly distributed them to the students in the audience.
The rules are simple: roles are assigned randomly. You get the script you're given and that's the role you get to play. It's fair and just.
The formal audition will take place in one hour!
Li Guonong, on the other hand, took Xiao Qingfeng to visit a drama school teacher he knew well.
Li Guonong led Xiao Qingfeng to an elegantly furnished office and gently knocked on the door. A gentle voice came from inside: "Please come in."
Pushing open the door, one sees a kind-faced middle-aged man sitting behind his desk; he is Zhang Hua, the head of the acting department at the academy.
Li Guonong introduced with a smile: "Qingfeng, this is Teacher Zhang Hua, the director of the Acting Department of our Shanghai Theatre Academy. Teacher Zhang has rich experience and outstanding achievements in acting teaching. Many of his students have made a name for themselves in the entertainment industry."
Zhang Hua stood up and greeted Xiao Qingfeng with a smile, shaking hands: "I've heard so much about you. I've heard of your brother; he's outstanding."
Next, Li Guonong led Xiao Qingfeng to another office, where an elegant lady was organizing documents.
"This is Ms. Lin Yue, our college's vocal teacher. Ms. Lin's vocal teaching methods are unique and have cultivated many outstanding singing talents."
Lin Yue greeted them warmly: "Welcome! I heard that Director Li was coming to cast actors, but I didn't expect him to bring Teacher Xiao as well. You are a great student of Teacher Meng Xianghui. He praised you a lot when we had our gathering."
During the visit, Xiao Qingfeng had a pleasant exchange with the teachers and gained a deeper understanding of the faculty strength of the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
An hour later, Xiao Qingfeng and Li Guonong returned to the studio on time!
The first person to come on stage was a junior male student named Zhang Yuan. He was tall, had well-defined features, and his eyes revealed confidence.
The scenes he had to perform were quite difficult, except for the final dialogue between Li Xiaoyao, who was holding his daughter, and the Sword Saint.
Zhang Yuan stood in the center of the stage, took a deep breath, and tried his best to get into character.
First, Zhang Yuan made a gesture of looking down at his daughter before raising his head to look straight ahead and then began to deliver his lines.
Zhang Yuan's performance ended quickly!
Li Guonong frowned slightly, then turned to Xiao Qingfeng and asked, "Qingfeng, what do you think of this child?"
Xiao Qingfeng shook his head and replied, "This is a bit difficult for him. After all, he was supposed to express Li Xiaoyao's complex emotions at this moment, but he didn't convey the feeling I wanted!"
Then, one by one, the other students went on stage to perform!
Soon, a girl named Li Yue came on stage. She had a sweet appearance and a fresh temperament. She wore a white ancient costume dress, looking like a fairy descending to earth.
She was to perform a scene where Zhao Ling'er makes harsh remarks to Li Xiaoyao at the inn.
She paused for a moment, then made an angry expression before saying, "From this day forward, your birth, birthday celebrations, marriage, childbirth, business success, and peaceful death will all be none of my business!"
After Li Yue's performance, Li Guonong looked at Xiao Qingfeng again!
Xiao Qingfeng thought for a moment before saying, "Li Yue's delivery of lines is indeed quite good; her pronunciation is clear, and her emotional expression is relatively fluent. However, her control over the character's inner thoughts is not precise enough."
"In this scene, although Zhao Ling'er is saying harsh words, every word she says is actually a blessing to Li Xiaoyao. Her heart is in pain and helplessness, with both love for Li Xiaoyao and the resolute determination to let go."
"However, Li Yue's portrayal of anger in her performance was rather one-dimensional, failing to fully express Zhao Ling'er's complex inner emotions. If she could have a deeper understanding of the character and conveyed Zhao Ling'er's inner struggles and helplessness through subtle changes in her eyes and tone of voice, her performance would have been even better."
Li Guonong was greatly surprised. Although he had had in-depth exchanges with Xiao Qingfeng before, he did not expect that Xiao Qingfeng's control over such detailed emotions was so precise. If he were to become a director, he would definitely achieve good results.
At this moment, Xiao Qingfeng turned to Li Guonong and said, "Director Li, why don't you say a few words too?"
After commenting, Li Guonong sighed and said, "These days, there aren't many kids with distinctive characteristics."
After watching several students' performances, Li Guonong and Xiao Qingfeng were not very satisfied.
Just then, Ms. Lin Yue, whom we had just visited, walked in!
"Director Li, Teacher Xiao, I think he has great potential, but he's a freshman named Gu Yuege. If you think it's okay, I'll ask him to give it a try?" the teacher said.
Li Guonong and Xiao Qingfeng exchanged a glance and nodded: "Alright, let him give it a try."
A moment later, a cheerful and outgoing young man jogged in.
He was tall and handsome, with a resolute and pure gaze.
He was wearing a simple sweatshirt without much decoration, yet he gave off a fresh and refined feeling.
"Teacher Li, did you call me?" Gu Yuege said respectfully as she approached Li Yue.
Li Yue said, "Come, let me introduce you. This is director Li Guonong. I won't introduce him to you, since you've been singing his songs these past few days, haven't you?"
The moment Gu Yuege saw Xiao Qingfeng, she was instantly excited!
"Teacher Xiao, you're so busy! I really like you, can you give me your autograph?"
Li Yue immediately retorted, displeased, "I called you here to audition, not to chase after celebrities. Behave yourself!"
The moment Xiao Qingfeng and Li Guonong saw Gu Yuege, they exchanged a glance, and their eyes lit up.
The force with which he rushed in just now was so similar to Li Xiaoyao's roguish charm in his early stages.
Li Guonong said, "There's nothing wrong with young people chasing after celebrities. Didn't Teacher Li also chase after Andy Lau back in the day?"
Li Yue was immediately displeased by his words: "Director Li, please don't undermine my students in front of them, okay? It'll make them afraid of me in the future!"
After saying that, Li Yue turned to Xiao Qingfeng and asked, "Um, Mr. Xiao, could you help me get an autographed photo of Andy Lau?"
Xiao Qingfeng readily agreed, "No problem, but let's have this student Gu try out the role first!"
Soon, Li Guonong's assistant handed Gu Yuege a script, which was about Li Xiaoyao facing Lin Yueru's death to save him.
This was a performance that put the most emotional expression to the test, and Gu Yuege expressed the guilt, self-blame, and grief in a very nuanced way.
Although his handling of expressions was still somewhat immature, it exceeded Li Guonong and Xiao Qingfeng's expectations.
Li Guonong clapped his hands excitedly, "Great! I think he's the Li Xiaoyao we're looking for. What do you think?"
Xiao Qingfeng also smiled with satisfaction: "Great minds think alike!"
......
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