This site uses cookies.
Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site,
while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.
For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Freelance translator and/or interpreter, Verified site user
Data security
This person has a SecurePRO™ card. Because this person is not a ProZ.com Plus subscriber, to view his or her SecurePRO™ card you must be a ProZ.com Business member or Plus subscriber.
Affiliations
This person is not affiliated with any business or Blue Board record at ProZ.com.
在20年演艺生涯后,我想总结探讨表现的过程。在这个戏里的问题,to be or not to be,我认为,是人类的极致问题。生死问题是所有问题的最终表现形式。人物是因为丰富而模糊,因为复杂而简单。我们用符号型的衣服,留有空白的表演形式,来去引发观众的思考。
不同的年代,去看这场戏,感受就不一样。不同的角度去看,看出来的东西,也不一样。哈姆雷特真的不是英雄,他就是一个普通的人,和你我一样。
我们在延续90版的解读方式,这是不会变的。因为我们不仅仅需要莎士比亚,我们更加需要我们自己对莎士比亚的认知,这才是经典的价值所在。每个人都有诠释莎士比亚的权利,当然每个人也都有评价这种诠释的权利,所谓永远的莎士比亚,并不是莎士比亚本身,而是我们赋予了莎士比亚什么。正如布莱希特所言,有能力这样做的人才有权利这样做。
这部戏的主旨是颠覆、解构和重构。我们台词的速度比古典版的快,人艺版3小时15分钟的剧情,我们仅仅用了2个小时就结束了,但是情节却不缺少多少,台词的速度是为了配合人物的感情,我们不需要拖沓的语言、华丽的场景和漫长的对话,我们需要的是让观众感觉到有人在用鞭子在赶着他们的思维来奔跑。让观众自觉或者不自觉的感受到简单背景背后复杂的人性冲突,人的精神和思维的力量。然后在两个小时以后再慢慢去回味。如果可以做到这样,那么我演出这个角色的目的也就达到了。
Translation - Chinese There’s a “Hamlet” in All of Us
An Interview with Pu Cun Xin
After its first tour 18 years ago, “Hamlet 1990” is again being performed and toured across China, with Pu Cun Xin playing the central character. An unknown stage actor 18 years ago, today Pu Cun Xin is a figure who has captured attention nation-wide. This celebrated actor and compassionate ambassador for good will has come back to his roots as a stage actor. Will he surpass his previous performance this time?
On an October day in Nanjing’s rainy and cool autumn, Pu Cun Xin is in the auditorium at Southeast University, a place well-worn by the passing through of many scholars and artists. It is here that “Hamlet 1990” will be performed in front of an audience of students likely drawn to the theater with admiration for and curiosity about Pu Cun Xin.
Since entering the acting world in the 1980’s, Pu Cun Xi has performed in numerous roles., from “The Thunderstorm”’s Zhou Ping, to “The Teahouse”’s Chang Si Ye, as well as the role of Li Bai in the play called “Li Bai”. And of course, he has played the role of prince in “Hamlet 1990”. According to Pu Cun Xi himself, in these roles he has realized his highest aspirations as actor. These dramatic characters hold for him a mortal fascination and are the roles that have given him the most satisfaction. As for those who comment on the contrast of his works for public welfare and the dark types of roles he plays, Pu Cun Xi remarks, “As for my community service, that is a voluntary job. Whatever you are able to do, you do, and no one will force you. That kind of work is not a profession.”
In 2003, Pu Cun Xi was appointed as managing director in charge of everyday affairs at an institution in Beijing. After less than four months, he decided to hand in a request for resignation. However, to date the authorities at his place of work have neither accepted nor denied his resignation. Therefore, in name at least, we can still refer to him as “Headmaster Pu”.
Pu Cun Xi stands out amongst actors who are chasing dreams of fame and riches. Though he has had countless job offers, Pu has his own ideas about his life’s undertaking; he has enthusiastically involved himself in public service and volunteer work which he does not do for payment or publicity. He has gradually moved away from flashier types of performances in favor of smaller and more basic, even costume-free, productions. At fifty-five years of age, he is popular with both children and older adults. Neither a director nor a scriptwriter, he is purely an actor who has been called the “soul” of “Hamlet 1990”.
Talking About “Hamlet 1990”
Interviewer: What can the viewer expect to notice in differences in presentation between the traditional “Hamlet” and “Hamlet 1990”?
Pu: Before acting in “Hamlet 1990” once again, I looked at an original interpretation of “Hamlet”. This was a traditional version of Hamlet which conformed to established standards of narration. The skills of the Japanese director lied in the co-existence of restraint and passion. The set designs and costumes were classical and refined. More importantly, this version of Hamlet did not attempt to impart on the audience the director’s vision or reinterpretation of the classical play. Rather it was a sincere attempt to let the audience experience Shakespeare’s classical story.
However, our motives in “Hamlet 1990” are not to give a traditional performance. We would like our play to have an original feel. In our performance, the background of the stage is totally black. The king’s throne is a barber’s chair found by Director Lin 18 years ago. In Hamlet’s final duel, an electric fan is used to express feelings of antagonism. As far as costumes, the actors wear a simple and traditional type of Chinese gown purchased by the Director Lin, and our own clothes underneath. There is no music in the performance, with the goal of letting the audience really absorb Shakespeare’s verse. In all, there are only nine actors, so several actors play several different roles. In performing and interpreting a story, the most key aspects are the character’s spirit and thinking.
Director Lin has featured a fiery tomb in the performance which serves to emphasize Shakespeare’s eternal question of survival versus extermination. It is also hoped that through this fantastical display questions of the state of humanity will be raised. Today’s king is perhaps yesterday’s Hamlet, bringing to mind a complex attribute of society. What we need to convey Hamlet and his despicable acts is not an actor with a wig shouting on the stage, but rather a way to present the heart of the story’s philosophy. The point to express here is not that of good triumphing over evil, but rather the idea that one’s opponent is just as much evil or good as one himself.
The Last Time Playing the Prince
Interviewer: What do you think the difference is in your current performance in Hamlet and the one you gave several years ago?
Pu: To act in “Hamlet” is a dream for me. I’ve always said in interviews that by the age of 55, besides acting as Li Bai, I would like to play the part of Hamlet, and I have finally realized my dream. My dream has a limit though. This time, performing Hamlet is really precious as my body won’t allow me to do this much longer. I’ve done my best to get myself in shape for this role.
After a 20-year career, I’d like to talk about all that I have experienced. The question of this play, “To be or not to be?”, is a key question for humankind. The question of life or death is what all questions eventually become. Becoming prosperous leads people to confusion, and complexity leads to simplicity. The blank spaces in this performance are there to give the audience space to think about the questions raised. Those of different generations will have different experiences when viewing this performance, and those with different points of view going in will have different impressions. Hamlet is not a hero, he’s just an ordinary person, like you and I.
In thinking about this play, our own thoughts about Shakespeare are key to our understanding. Everyone has their own right to interpret Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s legacy is not the man himself, but rather what he has bestowed upon us. Basically, anyone who is able to interpret Shakespeare has the right to do so.
The purpose of this play is deconstruction and reconstruction. In our play, the actors speak more quickly than those in the traditional performance. Traditionally, Hamlet is performed in three hours and fifteen minutes, but we perform it within two hours. However, nothing is left out of the plot. The actors pace is meant to go along with the passionate feelings in the play. In our performance we don’t feel that we need sluggish speaking or flowery sets; we just want to drive the audience to think. We want the audience to think about the complexity behind human nature and the conflicts. After the two hours, the audience is left to ponder over these questions. If we achieve this goal, than my purpose in playing this character will be realized.
More
Less
Translation education
Other - Johns Hopkins-Nanjing University
Experience
Years of experience: 18. Registered at ProZ.com: May 2009.
Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint
Bio
I am an American with nearly 9 years' experience living and working in Mainland China. I have studied Chinese formally in Chinese universities, and I have received a Graduate Certificate from the Johns Hopkins-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies, with graduate courses held completely in Chinese. I also have a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology.
I have several years' experience freelance writing and translating for publications, private companies, and individuals. Most recently I have worked as coordinator for an exchange program at Nanjing University, and a large part of my job duties involve translation. My working environment was entirely in the Chinese language.
Currently I am based in the U.S., working as a freelance translator. I have a flexible schedule and am very willing and interested in taking on translation projects. I am especially interested in translation of topics in the humanities/arts (society, culture, fine arts, literature, education, social sciences, etc) but I am open to many things!