The closing ceremony and award ceremony of the 6th Guangzhou Youth Drama Performance Competition was held on the evening of the 28th at the Jiangnan Grand Theater in Guangzhou. In this competition, a group of young drama talents have emerged, injecting fresh blood into the drama industry in Guangzhou.
On site award ceremony. Photo by Chen Qingzhong
The competition attracted a total of 60 young drama talents to participate. With their exquisite skills and full enthusiasm, they presented 31 Cantonese opera works, 12 puppet works, and 17 drama works to the audience. After fierce competition, 10 gold awards, 20 silver awards, and 30 bronze awards were ultimately won.
Puppet show performance. Photo by Chen Qingzhong
In addition to commending the award-winning actors, the award ceremony also showcased some of the award-winning works, including Cantonese opera “Hu Jia Zhuang”, drama “Goodnight Mom”, and staff puppet long silk dance “Puppetry Love”, once again demonstrating the strength of young drama talents.
Cantonese opera performance. Photo by Chen Qingzhong
This competition also specially established the “Outstanding Guidance Teacher Award” to recognize artists who have made outstanding contributions to the cultivation of young drama talents in Guangzhou. The winners include renowned Cantonese opera performer and winner of the Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award, Chen Yunhong; representative inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage puppetry (Guangdong puppetry), Cui Keqin; renowned Peking Opera performer and winner of the Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award, Huang Qifeng; and director of the Guangzhou Theatre Art Center, Ni Chao.
Zhang Juan, Minister of the Federation Department of Guangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles, stated that the Guangzhou Youth Drama Performance Competition is not only a grand event of artistic competition, but also an important platform for young drama talents to showcase themselves, exchange and learn, and improve together. The purpose of the competition is to promote training, learning, skills, and excellence through competitions, aiming to stimulate the potential of young drama workers and promote the prosperous development of drama art in Guangzhou.
Li Jiayi, the newly appointed chairman of the Guangzhou Dramatists Association and winner of the China Drama Plum Blossom Award, expressed her hope that young drama talents can create excellent literary and artistic works to nourish and enrich people’s spiritual lives, and promote the sustainable development of Guangzhou’s drama industry.
This competition is jointly organized by the Guangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Guangzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, Guangzhou Revitalization Cantonese Opera Foundation, and Guangzhou Dramatists Association. It is jointly hosted by Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Theatre, Guangzhou Drama Art Center, and Guangdong Puppet Art Theatre.