Amidst the immense impact of family factors on their relationship, Ling Yichen and Jun Moran knew they couldn't succumb to despair. They needed to find new breakthroughs in their careers, both to alleviate their inner pain and turmoil and to pave a new path for their future. Therefore, they decided to embrace the challenge of transformation and embark on a brand new endeavor in their acting careers.
They have consistently achieved remarkable success in the field of period dramas, creating numerous memorable historical characters. However, with the development of the ancient entertainment industry and changes in audience aesthetic demands, simply performing in period dramas could no longer satisfy their pursuit of higher levels of art, nor was it conducive to breaking through career bottlenecks. After careful consideration, they turned their attention to the emerging field of stage plays, especially experimental stage plays that integrate multiple artistic elements.
These stage plays differ greatly from traditional period dramas. They are no longer confined to fixed story frameworks and performance modes, but instead place greater emphasis on actors' improvisation, interaction with the audience, and the expression of various modern artistic concepts. For Ling Yichen and Jun Moran, this is undoubtedly a huge challenge. They need to abandon some of the ingrained thinking and performance habits formed in their previous period drama performances and relearn and adapt to entirely new performance rules and techniques.
In the early stages of their transformation, their biggest challenge was understanding and applying modern art elements. Experimental stage plays often incorporate modern dance, music, and multimedia visuals, elements that were quite unfamiliar to them, as they were accustomed to traditional performance styles. To overcome this hurdle, they began to broaden their knowledge of modern art, watch various modern art performances, exchange ideas with modern artists, and strive to absorb their essence.
Ling Yichen developed a strong interest in modern music, discovering that its rhythmic variations, melodic innovations, and unique emotional expressions could add new vitality to stage performances. He began studying basic music theory, attempting to compose simple musical fragments, and considering how to organically combine this music with stage performances. Jun Moran, on the other hand, focused on the study of modern dance. He delved into various dance styles and movement vocabulary, such as the rhythm of jazz, the freedom and fluidity of modern dance, and the power of street dance, and attempted to incorporate these dance elements into his own physical performances.
During rehearsals, they encountered numerous difficulties. Due to a lack of experience, they often experienced communication breakdowns and misunderstandings when collaborating with professionals from other art fields. For example, when working with a multimedia video designer, they had different understandings of the fusion rhythm and visual effects of video and performance, which led to a stalemate in rehearsals. However, Ling Yichen and Jun Moran did not give up. They continuously adjusted their mindset and communication methods, actively engaging in in-depth exchanges and collaborations with their team members.
They proactively invited the designer to explain the concept and intent of the video design in detail, while also sharing their understanding of the performance plot and the character's emotions. Through continuous discussion and experimentation, they finally found a fusion solution that satisfied both parties. During a rehearsal, when Jun Mo Ran performed a dance expressing his inner struggle, distorted light and shadow and abstract patterns were projected onto the background screen at the right time, echoing his dance movements and vividly showcasing the character's inner pain and confusion. At that moment, they deeply experienced the powerful expressiveness brought about by the fusion of different artistic elements.
Besides the integration of artistic elements, the transformation of performance style is another major challenge they face. In period dramas, their performances emphasize the character's status, etiquette, and the subtle expression of emotions. However, in experimental stage plays, actors are required to be bolder and more direct in portraying the character's inner world, even resorting to exaggerated performance techniques to attract the audience's attention and provoke their thinking.
When Ling Yichen portrays a character filled with inner contradictions and conflicts, he always struggles to shake off the restrained acting style typical of period dramas, resulting in a lack of emotional intensity and failing to achieve the desired stage effect. Jun Moran, observing this, was deeply concerned. He proactively spoke with Ling Yichen, sharing his own experiences and insights in transitioning his acting style. He suggested that Ling Yichen try to find inspiration in everyday life, observe the various ways people around him express their emotions, and apply these observations to his stage performances.
Inspired by Jun Moran, Ling Yichen began to observe the people and things around him more closely. He found the unreserved emotional investment and unique performance tension of street performers to be very worthy of emulation. Therefore, he tried to let go of himself during rehearsals, no longer confined to traditional performance methods. In one performance, to express the character's anger and despair, he suddenly knelt on the ground, clenched his fists, and roared to the sky, his voice echoing throughout the rehearsal space. His performance shocked everyone present, and the director and other actors gave him high praise, which further strengthened Ling Yichen's confidence in his transformation.
As rehearsals progressed, they gradually grasped the essence of experimental stage play performance, and the work began to take shape. This stage play, titled *Dreamland of Light and Shadow*, tells a fantastical story about time, space, and humanity. Ling Yichen plays a traveler lost in a dream, traversing different dimensions of time and space, searching for his destiny and the truth within his heart. Jun Mo Ran plays a spirit who guides the traveler through the dream, using graceful dance and poetic dialogue to help him unravel the mysteries in his heart.
In terms of stage design, a large amount of multimedia visuals and lighting effects were used to create a dreamlike stage atmosphere. As the traveler wanders in the dream, the stage lights change color according to his emotions, from melancholy blue to angry red, and then to confused gray, directly presenting the character's inner world to the audience. At the same time, various fantastical scenes, such as ancient castles, mysterious forests, and vast starry skies, are projected onto the background screen, blending with the actors' performances and making the audience feel as if they are in a fantasy world.
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