Why do opera actors wear makeup? The evolution of opera

Drama is a general term for stage performance art that uses language, action, dance, music, puppets, etc. to achieve narrative purposes. The concept of drama in literature refers to the script created for theatrical performances, that is, the play. There are many different forms of drama performances, the most common of which include drama, opera, dance drama, and musical. Why do opera actors wear makeup? Let's find out together.

Contents of this article

1. Why do opera actors wear makeup?

2. The evolution of opera

3. Three Elements of Opera

Why do opera actors wear makeup?

1. The purpose of opera actors' makeup is to make the actors' appearance and facial features as consistent as possible with the appearance and facial features of the characters they play in the opera, so as to create conditions for the opera actors to better complete the portrayal of the characters' thoughts and personalities in the performance.

2. The purpose of makeup for opera actors' Sheng and Dan roles is to beautify themselves.

3. The purpose of makeup for opera actors' Jing and Chou roles is to use exaggerated and strong colors and ever-changing lines to change the actors' original appearance, thereby contrasting with the makeup for Sheng and Dan roles.

The evolution of opera

The division of roles in Chinese opera performances has a long history. As early as the Tang Dynasty, there were two fixed roles, "Joining the Army" and "Cangju". In the Song and Yuan Zaju and Ming Chuanqi era, there was a saying of "Twelve Categories of Zaju", and the roles were divided into Fumo, Laosheng, Zhengsheng, Laowai, Damian, Ermian, Sanmian, Laodan, Zhengdan, Xiaodan, Tiedan, and Za. When the Huiban came to Beijing in 1790, there were nine roles in Hui Opera, namely Mo, Sheng, Xiaosheng, Wai, Dan, Tie, Fu, Jing, and Chou. The Han Opera that came to Beijing after the Huiban had the most complete roles, divided into ten categories, Mo, Jing, Sheng, Dan, Chou, Wai, Xiao, Tie, Fu, and Za. This was the division of roles before the formation of Peking Opera. Since its formation, Peking Opera has undergone several changes in the division and classification of roles. At first, the roles of Peking Opera were divided into "ten roles", namely Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, Fu, Wai, Za, Wu, and Liu.

Three Elements of Opera

The three elements of drama are as follows:

1. Dramatic conflict. It refers to a special art form that expresses the contradictory relationships between people and people’s inner conflicts.

2. Stage prompts. Also known as stage instructions, they are explanatory texts provided by the playwright to the director and actors based on the needs of the performance.

3. Language. It is the words spoken by the characters in a drama performance. It is the main means used by the playwright to present the plot, portray the characters, and reflect the theme.