How can a drama achieve both critical and commercial success?

Recently, the video from reality show "Drama Life" of an actor trying to sell tickets on the street became a trendy topic. In the video clip, a tourist tried to bargain for a 90% discount (to 10 yuan, or $1.55) and have a photo taken with the protagonist. In the end, the two parted on bad terms, and the topic "Is a play not worth the price of a meal?" triggered heated discussions.

Some netizens made cool-headed analyses of the artistic attributes of plays. First, since plays need audiences to be present to watch the shows, they cannot appear on live-streams or videos to be displayed to a larger range of audiences. This causes plays to be a niche art. Drama's dependence on the material conditions of venue, props, lighting and stage design keeps its budget high, which also determines its high ticket pricing. These objective reasons result in market-oriented plays risking poor box-office performances.

Regarding the tourist's proposal of "a 90% discount and a group photo", some netizens believe it shows lack of respect for dramatic art and artists. Voting under the trendy discussion of "Is a play not worth the price of a meal?" around 78% of respondents answered "A play is worth it, as art should be invaluable, and good performances should be worthy of the high price."

Many longtime drama fans had similar experiences. When they watched a good show, an interest in plays suddenly sparked within them. However, people who have the opportunity to approach plays at a close range are still a minority, and their curiosity and yearning cannot directly translate into box office income.

"Doing plays is indeed difficult," like theater artists in the reality show, screenwriter He Lulu does not deny the hardships of the drama industry. Tens of thousands of venue and prop fees, expenditure on continuous rehearsals, these costs will all translate into box office pressure. A balance sheet is counted before each performance, calculating how many tickets are enough for the payoff, and how many suffice for profit. If ticket sales are not great, it could even result in losing money.

"Drama is a relatively niche market. However, since China has a big population, as long as a niche art can find its audiences and create good performances for them, then it will be able to survive. 'Drama Life' represents an attempt to publicize drama. However, selling tickets to tourists is a mismatch," says Yang Qianwu, Vice-Chairman of Beijing Theater Association. "There are many successful cases in popularizing drama. Meng Jinghui used to cultivate audiences by taking plays to campuses. Later when his plays are performed at Beijing Theatre, the ticket prices are also market-oriented. Regular audiences can watch the show for 100 to 200 yuan.

Lai Shengchuan's early works were made into CDs and widely spread, which is another effective way of popularizing plays. Good dramatic works do not mind being recorded in video format. A typical example is the National Theatre in England that live-records its plays and show them in cinemas globally. This can both earn box office income and popularize their shows, as many audiences will yearn to watch live performances after watching the videos." Yang thinks many theater artists seek quick success and instant profits. They aim to perform two to three shows at a high price but lack durability. "It isn't that plays have no audiences, but that we need to have patience to find and cultivate them," says Yang.

Which works are recognized by the times and accepted by the audiences? Song Baozhen, Director at the Chinese National Academy of Arts Drama Research Institute, believes only quality can let audiences willingly purchase tickets and can stand the test of time. "Examples are classical dramas of 'Teahouse', 'Thunderstorm' and 'Home' which are performing all the time. They have even stepped out of the national borders and enjoyed international popularity. Their vitality is continuous, they have endured the test of time," Song states. "These classical works have a commonality, they have profound thought-provoking connotations. They do not preach, but express their connotations through the vicissitudes of their central characters."

Contributed by: Liu Pingan, reporter of Guangming Daily

Translated by Zhang Junye