Incubate new forces in youth drama and promote the development of original stage art

The first Peiyuan Art Festival 2024, guided by the China Performance Industry Association, specially invited by the Performance Producers Committee and the Performing Arts New Business Development Committee of the China Performance Industry Association, hosted by Kuanyou (Beijing) Cultural Exchange Co., Ltd., and jointly organized by Beijing Jiuren Cultural Media Co., Ltd., will be held in Beijing from September 20th to 22nd. This innovative activity focuses on young drama talents and promotes original stage art with the concept of "new youth, new market, new vision", aiming to create an incubation, exhibition, and promotion platform for young artistic talents and Chinese original art works, injecting new vitality into the future development of Chinese stage art.

The birth of Peiyuan Art Festival originated from the deep cultivation and meticulous work of the "Peiyuan · Youth Drama Talent Training and Play Incubation Platform" project launched in 2019. In the past five years, this platform has become the largest and most incubated drama talent training base in China. As of now, the platform has independently and entrusted 11 rounds of solicitation, with a total of 147 incubated works, of which 64 have successfully undergone formal commercial production and performance.

The database of Peiyuan Incubation Platform already has over 3000 real name registered drama talents, including screenwriters, directors, producers, and stage actors. At the same time, the platform has collected over 4000 scripts and script outlines, bringing together more than 300 expert mentors and over 230 real name certified production investment institutions. The platform has accumulated over 35 million yuan in incubation funds injected by various parties and successfully leveraged nearly 200 million yuan of social capital.

The high-quality development of the performance market requires originality as its foundation. Exploring new works and discovering new talents is the essence of originality. The emergence of originality not only relies on the creator's own abilities, but also requires an effective incubation mechanism. Only then can it be achieved from scratch, from small to large, from weak to strong, and in the market environment surrounded by strong IPs, can more original works be "seen" and strive for development space. To provide a broader stage and more fertile soil for Chinese original works and emerging forces with a more open mind and a longer-term perspective.

The Peiyuan Art Festival is such a platform. It not only showcases new talents and works, but more importantly, it builds a comprehensive and multi-level incubation system to discover more outstanding creators, incubate more outstanding works, and promote the prosperity and development of the industry.

The opening play of this year's art festival, "Flipping Mountains and Seas," was written and directed by Zhu Hongxuan, a creator incubated on the Peiyuan platform and founder of the Nine People Drama. The drama is based on the Republic of China women's basketball team, showcasing the unique artistic perspective and profound creative skills of young creators. The Peiyuan platform had previously incubated the plays "Spring Passes" and "Journey" written and directed by Zhu Hongxuan in two phases. With the return of nine people in this play, not only will the original new work "Flipping Mountains and Seas" be used as the opening drama, but it will also inject resources and funds into the incubation of the art festival, giving back to the incubation platform. This is not only the best proof of the platform's cultivation achievements, but also reflects the virtuous cycle of the Peiyuan Art Festival where "the incubated become the incubator". The platform and creators grow together and complement each other.

The invited drama unit gathers successful incubation cases from the Peiyuan platform, including Beijing opera "My Lifetime", drama "Cold Blooded", and children's drama "The Glory Journey of Peanuts". From script to incubation, to successful performance and international tour, they not only serve as role models for newcomers and new works, but also provide strong proof of China's original drama strength.

The core highlight of this year's art festival lies in the cultivation of young artistic talents and the incubation unit of works. 20 works will be publicly displayed for the first time in the form of "semi-finished products", covering various art forms such as drama, Yue opera, children's drama, dance, musical theater, storybook drama, sound theater, installation drama, etc. The themes span multiple fields such as historical legends, future science fiction, real life, magical reality, suspense, and life issues.

Among them, 6 works will be displayed in full, and 12 works will all be displayed in 30 minute segments. These works fully demonstrate the diversity of stage art, reflecting the infinite creativity and vitality of young creators in terms of subject selection, art forms, and expression techniques. The art festival adheres to the principle of artistic diversity expression, providing a stage for showcasing works of different styles and types, fully showcasing the unique charm of new talents and works.

This year's art festival also specially planned multiple heavyweight events, focusing on cutting-edge topics in industry development. These activities aim to open up ideas, answer questions, and explore future possibilities for theater workers, showcasing the festival's efforts in guiding ideas and expanding horizons.

The "New Space, New Business Model, New Life - Surprise Night of Peiyuan Art Festival for Performing Arts New Business Model" will explore the development trend of new performing arts spaces; The AI big model has gone crazy! What about literary and artistic workers? What is the password for converting "He" theatrical works into movies and TV shows? Two guest dialogues will explore the impact of technological innovation on drama creation, while the "Women's Power, Higher than Mountains" creative dialogue will focus on the unique perspectives of female creators. These activities reflect the festival's forward-looking thinking on the future development of the industry and create more possibilities for the development of Chinese drama.

During the Peiyuan Art Festival, a general meeting of the Performance Producers Committee of the China Performance Industry Association will also be held, bringing together top production institutions across the country to discuss the future of the industry.

A major innovation of this year's art festival is to invite production institutions and art troupes from all over the country who are interested in supporting original Chinese stage works to serve as "special observers". Over a hundred production investment institutions will directly participate in activities such as observing original works and discussing industry topics at the art festival, fully demonstrating the industry's high attention to young creators and original works. Special observers not only allow newcomers and new works to receive market feedback earlier, but also promote direct connection between creators and the industry, paving the way for the subsequent development of excellent works and seeking more opportunities and possibilities. At the same time, the art festival will select and launch works that are "most concerned by investment institutions" and "most loved by audiences", further inspiring young creators and promoting outstanding works to stand out.

The holding of the first Peiyuan Art Festival in 2024 is not only a training and support for young drama talents, but also an important promotion for China's original stage art. Just as the technology field emphasizes independent chips, the cultural field also requires solid original ability. The Peiyuan Art Festival hopes to inject new vitality into Chinese stage art through efforts, help enhance China's cultural soft power, and contribute to the development of original stage art in China