马可学川戏

Mark Branner and Sichuan Opera

马可(Mark Branner)是美国人,1994年来中国,在四川成都一所大学当英语教师。1995年的一天,他的一个中国学生带他去看川戏,那折叫《皮金滚灯》的丑角戏立刻使他入了迷。在美国,他学了四年戏剧,演过一年马戏小丑。

Mark Branner, a -year-old American guy who had 4 years' experience in drama and one year as a circus clown, came to China in 1994 as an English teacher at acollege in Chengdu, Sichuan. Then in 1995 after he had seen a Sichuan Opera piece Pijin Rolling With Lamps On'(Pinjin Gundeng), he became intoxicated with the clown performances and resigned from his position at the college. He enteredthe Sichuan Opera School and followed the celebrated Sichuan Opera clown actor Xu Mingchi. Under the guidance of Xu and many others, Mark learned within 1 year two Sichuan Opera pieces, 'Writing An Essay and Pijin Rolling With Lamps On' in spite of the language barriers and difficult performing shills. Mark Branner, who failed to find a job suitable to his drama tastes in the United States, has totay been employed by China Corporation of English as a Sichuan Opera actor: he frequently appears in the corporation's publicity campaigns and becomes the first North American who spread Sichuan's local drama to his countrymen.