The Shanghai Theatre Academy, a
prestigious art institute in China and originally Shanghai Municipal
Experimental Drama School, was founded by the famous artists, Gu
Zhongyi, Li Jianwu, Wu Renzhi and Xiong Foxi on December 1, 1945. It
boasted a group of the best artists in China at the time as its
faculty members.
In October 1949, the name of the school was changed to Shanghai
Municipal Drama School. In 1952, in keeping with the reforms in
institutions of higher learning in China, the school was combined
with the drama section of the department of arts in Shandong
University and the drama group in Shanghai Xingzhi Art School and it
was named Huadong Institute of Central Drama. In 1956, it changed
into the present Shanghai Theatre Academy under the direct
administration of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic
of China.
The school was expanded with a complete curriculum. Although regular
teaching was severely interfered with during the Cultural
Revolution, it quickly recovered and developed with the reform
programs in China. In 1992, it was designated as an avant-garde in
the comprehensive reforms in administration. In 1993, reforms in
teaching also took effect. It was honored as a National Model Unit
by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Culture of China.
Professor Xiong Foxi, the leading dramatist of modern times, was the
president of the Shanghai Theatre Academy for a long time. The
current president is Professor Hu Miaosheng who is both a drama
theorist and a stage designer.
Shanghai Theatre Academy has always been called "The Cradle of
Artists" which has nurtured over 5000 talented artists who are
working in various parts of the country. They are the pride and
glory of the school. Their efforts and success contributed
to the pride and glory of the Shanghai Theatre academy for half a
century. |
