“志士班”白话剧演出考述

A Review on the Vernacular Theatre Performances of “Revolutionary Troupes”

"白话剧"是文明戏在广府地区的名称。"志士班"是广府地区白话剧演出的发端,带有鲜明的革命诉求和地域文化特色。从1904年程子仪、陈少白、李纪堂等人创办"采南歌"开始,"志士班"如雨后春笋陆续涌现,前后有三十余个"志士班"在广东、港、澳及东南亚活动。"志士班"最早为粤剧改良戏班,后出现白话剧社。辛亥革命后,"志士班"迅速消散,仅剩个别班社朝商业转向。而参与过白话剧演出的"志士班"成员,不少转而投入粤剧和电影业,甚至成为行业的佼佼者。"志士班"虽昙花一现,但其不仅完成了协助革命运动的作用,还引发了粤剧大改革并为粤语话剧的发展奠定了基础。

"Vernacular theatre " is the name of "Wenmingxi " meaning civilized drama in Cantonese area. "Revolutionary Troupes",the beginners of vernacular theatre performance in Cantonese area,show distinct revolutionary connotations and regional cultural characteristics.Since 1904,when CHENG Ziyi,CHEN Shaobai,LI Jitang and others set up "Cainange ","Revolutionary Troupes"have sprung up one after another,with more than 30 such troupes being active in Guangdong,Hong Kong,Macao and Southeast Asia. "Revolutionary Troupes"were initially the reformed Cantonese Xiqu troupes,joined later on by vernacular troupes. After the Revolution of 1911,"Revolutionary Troupes"disappeared rapidly,leaving a few of them turning to commercial performance. Many members of"Revolutionary Troupes",who had participated in the performance of vernacular theatre,turned to Cantonese Xiqu or movie industry,some of them even becoming the best in their trades. Despite its short duration,"Revolutionary Troupes"have not only successfully played their role of assisting the revolutionary movements,but also led to the significant reform of Cantonese Xiqu,and laid the foundation for the development of Cantonese Huaju.