Scene from Teahouse Photo: CFP

From 1950s and 60s classics Teahouse, Thunderstorm and Sunrise to 1980s hits Wang Zhaojun, Warning Signals and Li Bai; these stage performances are all linked to the Beijing People's Art Theater (BPAT). Established in 1952 with renowned playwright Cao Yu as the first president, BPAT has held over 300 plays.

As this year marks the 60th anniversary of its establishment, a 300-minute-long documentary, Arts of People, broadcast on Beijing TV, honors the dedication of BPAT's pioneers including Cao Yu, BPAT's first president, Jiao Juyin, the first general director, and Lao She, author of BPAT's many reputable plays like Teahouse and Rickshaw Boy, as well as the classics they produced and performed.

Over the past six decades, BPAT has built a household name for itself in China, representing the highest standard of stage performances. Like other State-owned theaters, BPAT's history is intertwined with cultural events, experiencing bumps along the road and facing an uncertain future.

Dramatic history

During the premiere of Art of People on June 5, 90-year-old artist Zhu Lin couldn't help shedding tears when she recalled BPAT's early development in the 1950s and 60s.

"During that time, premier Zhou Enlai watched almost all of our plays," said Zhu. "Often, he found time to discuss lines and performance with us."

Attention from top leaders attributed to BPAT's significance then. Not long after the founding of People's Republic of China, there were several theaters categorized under "people's art," including BPAT, Shanghai People's Art Theater and Liaoning People's Art Theater. Today, only BPAT retains its glory.

BPAT shone during the 1950s and 60s. When it was founded in 1952, Cao Yu and Jiao Juyin were assigned as president and general director, respectively. Cao was already a renowned playwright then, with works like Thunderstorm (1933), Sunrise (1936) and Peking Man (1940). Jiao was selected for his successful adaptation of Lao She's Longxugou.

During its early establishment, BPAT didn't have a strong performing cast aside from veteran actor Ye Zi. However, by 1959, BPAT staged eight plays that were received well, including Thunderstorm, Sunrise, Rickshaw Boy and Cai Wenji.

Among those plays, Teahouse, directed by Jiao Juyin, was the most successful, staged over 600 times.

The success of BPAT came to a sudden halt when the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) broke out. Not only were performances disrupted; founding members Cao Yu, Lao She and Jiao Juyin suffered; Lao She committed suicide in 1966 and Jiao died of lung cancer in 1975.

After the Cultural Revolution, BPAT slowly resurfaced. On June 6, 1978, when Cai Wenji, BPAT's first play after a decade, was set to play at the Capital Theater, audiences scrambled to buy tickets, each person limited to four.

From 1984 to 1992, Yu Shizhi was the president of BPAT, leading the theater through its second golden period. By the early 1990s, a handful of original plays were created: Warning Signals, Weddings and Funerals, Uncle Doggie's Nirvana, and Xiaojing Hutong.

Warning Signals, directed by Lin Zhaohua, was initially opposed for deviating from traditional styles, in both performing skills and stage design. But under the support of Yu Shizhi and Cao Yu, it was not only innovative but successful, ushering in a new wave of small theater plays.

Import, export

To localize the imported idea of stage plays, BPAT adapted a series of foreign plays including Aesop, The Miser and The Man with the Gun in the 1950 and 60s. After the 1980s, it staged adaptations of Death of A Salesman, The Caine Mutiny and Return to Native.

BPAT has long tried to promote Chinese plays internationally. In 1980, Teahouse was the first to go abroad. Its appearance in more than 10 European cities during 50 days, including Germany, France and Switzerland, received positive responses from local audiences. Since then, many plays including Wang Zhaojun, Uncle Doggie's Nirvana, Ruan Lingyu and Birds Men ventured to Japan, Canada, Singapore and Egypt.

"We never stop our efforts to take Chinese plays overseas," said Ren Ming, vice president of BPAT. Last year, Top Restaurant was staged in US, and Thunderstorm was presented to Russian audiences, he said.

But most contemporary plays just leave temporary impressions, said Shui Jing, a cultural critic in Beijing. Only a few traditional plays like Teahouse, Top Restaurant and Thunderstorm have attained international success.

Talent and time

Like other State-owned art theaters, BPAT is undergoing a series of reforms. BPAT faces a shortage of both original scripts and talented performers.

"People now are less patient with script writing and lack strong observations on life, leading to the declining quality of plays," said Zhang Heping, president of BPAT.

"It's easy to build theaters but it's harder to create quality plays," vice president Ren Ming said. You can't do a play like Teahouse or Thunderstorm even if you spent millions of yuan on it, they require a deep understanding, he said.

Lack of talent intensifies the problem. Lured by competitive income from TV and film, many young performers at BPAT are occupied by side jobs, said Niu Xiangling, the daughter of BPAT's esteemed performers Niu Xingli and Jin Yaqin. Young generations spend less time on stage than older generations, resultingly.

As Shui Jing said, aging in BPAT is already obvious, among directors or performers. "We can't always expect those old classics to promote the future."