December 18- To the sound of thunderous applause, the curtain of Drama Night 2009 has been drawn in Yunshan Auditorium for yet another year. Although the performances might be over, the excitement they brought with them still lingers in GDUFS.
This year, the drama from the Department of Cultural Studies The Glass Menagerie became the biggest winner as it was awarded six prizes in total including; Best Play, Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actor & Actress, Best Male Voice-over and the Best Adaption. Despite such an impressive showing by The Glass Menagerie crew, all the judges and even the audience agreed that it was tough to pick a clear winner as all the dramas were simply excellent.
Best actress and actor
The Glass Menagerie
The theme of each drama was another spotlight tonight. Homosexuality, murder, lies and affairs, contrast between realism and illusion, all of which seemed to have a connection with American feminism. Some students found the themes interesting while some said they were difficult to understand. Since the plays were all adaptations of American stories from the 1900 s, one of the judges Pro. Mao Sihui, encouraged students to choose stories from other countries for next year s event.
The Children's Hour
At the end of the performance, we helda brief interview with Ms. Sandrine Goffard, Vice Consul from the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou. When talking about the evening s performance, she said it was so wonderful that she wished she had been here for the previous drama nights. "Stage brings life to life," she told us. "You should always keep on acting" is her advice to students.
Cui Shaojun, director of the Best Play -- The Glass Menagerie, gives credit for tonight's success to all the hard work on and behind the stage. From selecting the play to adapting the script, from preparing the costumes and props to rehearsals, it took 70 days to present tonight's 20 minutes. Being a director, he said the most difficult part was to get his actors into the play or to "hypnotize" them into their characters. However, their efforts were paid off tonight.
Zhang Shi, winner of the Best Actress, was very humble about her award, and said it was important to communicate with teachers and accept constructive advice.
Drama Night has been a tradition in Faculty of English Language and Culture for 12 years. And with the coming of every new year, there is always something fresh on the stage.Although the curtain has fallen on this year, the memories still remain.
Photos provided by Hannah Lv and Krist Xu
