Audience members await the first performance of The Jiang's House 1912 in Dalian.
Precarious situation
"Comedy drama is the most popular form of entertainment," said Cai Wenyu, founder of the Daoyazi (a Dalian dialect word meaning "kerbstones") Drama Workshop in Dalian.
The workshop, which was founded in 2014 and has just 12 members, has rented a 700-seat conference room next to the Dalian Poly Theater at the Dalian International Conference Center. Last year, its first presentation, a comedy performed in the Dalian dialect, earned critical praise and good audience numbers. This year, a similar comedy drama also earned rave reviews.
Despite that, the situation is still precarious. "For small troupes, the success of one or two dramas can't cover up the difficulties," Cai said. "It's hard to find suitable actors".
According to Cai, although there are film schools in Dalian, most graduates leave to work in larger cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, where there are greater opportunities.
"Young actors can only grow faster and earn more money when there are enough performances," he said.
The Dalian Repertory Theater Company, a State-owned troupe, boasts professional playwrights and a large number of actors. It gives about 200 performances a year.
"Small folk troupes are too far behind to catch up. As far as I know, all five grassroots modern drama troupes active in Dalian are facing difficulties as a result of a lack of actors, playwrights and money," Cai said.
Those problems aren't just endemic to Dalian, though; they also present challenges to small theater companies in other cities. Despite that, Cai believes the vitality of modern drama in China derives from smaller troupes, but he remains cautious about the potential effect of crowdfunding.
"It's an innovative business model, but not a solution for all our difficulties. Everything should result from the high quality of our work," he said.
