.20 1990s Commercialization Of Drama Study

The commercial play in the West has a long history during which a mature operational model was developed. Prior to the founding of the PRC, two major attempts were made to commercialize the stage play in China. However, neither was carried through and the commercial play in China never had a chance to undergo a normal development.Into the 1990s, the commercial play once again started on its tottering path. A fair number of semi-commercial plays emerged, centering primarily in Beijing and Shanghai. Such plays have expanded the scope of the art and created a new group of theatergoers. Although these works have manifested their distinct characteristics in terms of thematization, style, operational model, etc., they are far from fully developed in comparison with Western commercial plays. For this reason they are referred to as"semi-commercial plays"by the author.This paper examines China's semi-commercial plays from the 1990s onward with particular attention to their birth, thematical classifications and characteristics, as well as their operational models and stage directing features. It makes a case study of the Modern Troupe Theatre of Shanghai and its all-star productions of"Family"and"Thunder Storm."Through a detailed inquiry into the theater's selection of the plays, assignment of the casts, stage treatment, production costs and returns, promotional technique, social impact, etc., the paper aims to demonstrate both the significance and the negative effects of the semi-commercial plays in China with a view to facilitating their more healthy development.