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The Last Warrior Elephant 《最后一头战象》

Shanghai Oriental Art Center

2018

A moving tale of the bond between humans and animals

The Last Warrior Elephant tells the moving tale of Ga Suo, the eponymous animal that survived a war that took place in the Chinese prefecture of Xishuangbanna, in Yunnan province. Adapted from Shen Shixi’s famous children’s story of the same name, this brand-new production was brought to the stage by SMG Live, featuring fabulous puppets created by the Shanghai Puppetry Company.

The story follows the heart-warming friendship between young Bo Nongding and Ga Suo, as seen through the eyes of Bo’s older self. Taking place over a number of years, the narrative sets the action in a series of locations conveyed in a distinctive, two-dimensional storybook style. As the older Bo Nongding recalls his friendship with Ga Suo over the years, his memories of the times they have shared together materialise through a sequence of monochrome, painterly reliefs, bringing them vividly to life in front of him and the audience.

59’s design team approached this compelling story with relish, utilising the stunning set design of stage designer Shen Li to reveal a series of locations across three key layers of the set. Firstly, a high-resolution LED screen at the rear of the stage provided an impressive cyclorama, upon which the landscapes of the tale could be brought to life. Crossing a variety of environments, including luscious rainforests, village scenes and rocky, mountainous regions, the 8K screen enabled the panoramas to be revealed in gorgeous detail and depth.

Secondly, a series of three tree trunk-shaped set pieces allowed 59’s team to add colour, light and texture to the stage picture, complementing the lighting design of award-winning lighting designer Ren Dongsheng.

Finally, the image is completed by additional projection on to a series of three gauzes hanging above the stage at different angles and lengths, giving the opportunity to add a variety of three-dimensional effects, such as stars in the night sky or animals including birds and fireflies. Viewed together, the combination of surfaces creates an evocative, enthralling environment for the story to play out within.

In creating these atmospheric surroundings, 59’s projection design completed a striking visual aesthetic, allowing the tale of Ga Suo to be brought to life through a thrilling combination of movement, beautifully composed songs and passionate storytelling, establishing an ambitious new standard in modern Chinese theatre.

Opened 2018

Shanghai Oriental Art Center, China

个关于人与动物之间的羁绊的感人故事

《最后一头战象》讲述了战争时期在云南西双版纳幸存下来的名叫噶羧的象的感人故事。这部全新的剧目改编自沈石溪的同名儿童文学作品,由上海文广演艺集团出品,其中惟妙惟肖的木偶由上海木偶剧团研发制作。

故事从老年波农丁的视角展开,讲述了小波农丁和噶羧之间温暖人心的友谊。故事横跨了很多年,以一种独特的、二维的故事书风格在一系列地点展开。当老年波农丁回忆起他与噶羧多年的友谊时,记忆中他们共同度过的时光逐渐具体化,通过一系列黑白色的、艺术浮雕似的画面,生动地重现在他以及观众面前。

59公司的设计团队对这个引人入胜的故事很感兴趣,设计触感上依凭舞美设计师沈力令人惊叹的布景设计,通过舞台布景上三个关键层,展示了一系列故事发生的场所。首先,舞台后部的高分辨率LED屏幕提供了令人印象深刻的背景画幕,故事中的景象可以在其中生动展现。跨越各种环境,包括美丽的热带雨林,乡村景色以及岩石山区风貌,8K的屏幕使全景图显示出极为赏心悦目的细节和深度。

其次,一系列共三组树干形状的舞台装置树让59公司的团队能够在舞台画面中添加色彩、光线和纹理,更好的衬托了屡获殊荣的灯光设计师任冬生的灯光设计效果。

最后,通过在舞台上方以不同角度和长度悬挂的三块纱幕上附加投影来完成整个画面,从而有机会添加各种三维效果,例如夜空中的星星或者类似飞鸟和萤火虫的小动物。综合来看,多层平面的结合为故事的展开创造了一个引人入胜,令人回味的环境。

在创造这些氛围感十足的舞台环境时,59的投影设计完成了惊人的视觉美学,让噶羧的故事得以通过舞台行动、优美的歌曲以及热诚的故事叙述方式变得栩栩如生,在中国当代戏剧界树立了一个颇有雄心的新标准。

Opened 2018

Shanghai Oriental Art Center, China

Credits - 演职员表

Produced by
出品方
SMG Live
上海文广演艺集团
Shanghai Puppet Theatre
上海木偶剧团

Director
导演
He Nian
何念

Composer
作曲
Peng Fei
彭飞

Set Design
舞美设计
Shen Li
沈力

Lighting Design
灯光设计
Ren Dongsheng
任冬生

Producer (for SMG Live)
制作人(上海文广演艺集团
Ma Luke
马晨骋
Zhu Lucia
朱潇然

59 Team

Creative Director
Benjamin Pearcy

Producer
Ollie Hester

Lead Designer
Nicol Scott

Associate Video Designer
Iain Syme

Designer
Matthew Taylor

Design Intern
Hanna Schrage

Animators
Georgia Clegg
Jarek Radecki
Lawrence Watson