Shaanxi Grand Theater | Xi An Concert Hall – Presenting Works during a Pandemic

There is no doubt that the pandemic has had a huge impact on theatres around the world. In China, the central government currently only allows theatres to take on 50% attendance, but for most theatres, this is still far from enough, every theatre is exploring new ways of presenting performances.

XSO at the top of Mount. Hua

Xi’an Symphony Orchestra (XSO), which is the Resident Orchestra of Xi’an Concert Hall, staged a live broadcast at the top of Mount Hua on 4 July 2020. The live number of viewers on the network was over 50 million. Conductor Tang Muhai said: “It is a remarkable achievement to be playing music amidst the magnitude of mountains and sea.” After achieving great success, XSO continued to carry out a series of live concerts with When XSO Meets Qinling.

When XSO Meets Qinling

This was just one of the many attempts of the Shaanxi Grand Theater | Xi’an Concert Hall during the pandemic. Recently, the Shaanxi Opera House | Xi’an Concert Hall launched a series of events, including Craftwork Together SNPAC Class and The Theater-kids PLUS, etc. During the period when the performance cannot be performed normally, the theatre still needs to maintain close contact with the audience through other means. The Craftwork Together is a programme where Shaanxi Opera House | Xi’an Concert Hall collaborated with local artists.

Craftwork Together SNPAC Class, 2020. Aug.15

The local artists designed handicrafts with theatre elements and taught the audience how to make them. Through this programme, the audience could go back to the theatre again to join the classes, and re-establish contact with the theatre after a long quarantine period. For theatres, this is what they can currently offer to serve the community in addition to performances. Furthermore, these audiences will become potential customers for future collaboration projects between theatres and local artists.

The Theater-kids, 2019

The Theater-kids is a theater experience activity for children launched by the Shaanxi Opera House | Xi’an Concert Hall. In 2019, 20 children were recruited to participate in the daily work of theatre production. This time the The Theater-kids PLUS will let children participate in more in-depth behind-the-scenes work on stage, such as costume production, performance promotion, etc. They will work with the theatre staff to complete the presentation of a musical.

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Finally, in October 2020, the immersive suspense interactive project Grand Theater will be staged at the Shaanxi Grand Theater | Xi’an Concert Hall. This is a brand-new attempt during COVID-19.

The Immersive Suspense Interactive Project – Grand Theater

Shaanxi Grand Theater | Xi’an Concert Hall was inspired by the curiosity of ordinary audiences about theatre, combined with the live role performance (LARP) which has recently gained popularity in China. It makes use of the vacant theatre during the pandemic to let the audience experience theatre in a new way.

Unlike usual live performances, this type of production has a larger proportion of game elements, and can be accommodated by theatres that are limited by attendance and cannot hold daily performances. At the same time, it gradually cultivates the confidence of the audience to return to the theatre. With the popularity of the Chinese market, this performance can effectively attract more young people to explore the theatre.