The modern drama troupe of Nanjing Tech University was founded in 2010 and is now a provincial college student art group. It is composed of one instructor and more than 50 members. The concept of the troupe is to show campus life in the form of literature and art and to carry out various activities. It aims to promote the quality-oriented education, prosper the campus culture, and improve the comprehensive skills of the students.
Over the past 11 years, the troupe has established a sound management scheme and rehearsal system, which enhanced the discipline and team spirit of the troupe, and strengthened the troupe’s talent echelon construction. The troupe has stayed close to the students both on and off campus to promote the ideology and policies of the Communist Party of China and the university, and to promote the artistic and cultural traditions of the Chinese nation. Regular training and performances have been conducted as well.
Under the leadership of the instructor, the troupe conducts weekly basic skills training and daily rehearsals, and performs programs annually. Basic skills training starts with five aspects: lines; body shape; body language; observation; and imagination, including vocal warm-ups; recitation; tongue twisters; body contouring exercises and ligament exercises. In the daily rehearsals, the troupe has created skits that can show the campus culture and are suitable for performances, exchange and competition. On the basis of skits and sketch comedies, the troupe further develops musical sketch comedies, poetry recitation, stage plays and other performance forms.
A Chinese idiom acknowledges that “one minute on the stage needs ten years of practice off stage.”, and the troupe’s efforts paid off in that respect. The original sketch comedyAnt WarriorsandMission Impossiblewon the first prize in the 4th and 6th College Student Art Performance Competition respectively, and won the Excellent Creation Award. Besides, the troupe also won the first prizes in the drama group and recitation group many times in the College Student Art Performance Competition of Jiangsu Province.
Many plays of the troupe have been listed as Jiangsu Province Elegant Art into Campus Project, and have been performed at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing Normal University Zhongbei College, Nanjing Institute of Technology, and other universities. In recent years, more than ten members have been admitted to prestigious universities such as the University of Sussex, the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, and Nanjing University to study for master’s degrees in drama and film majors, thus embarking on artistic careers.