ABSTRACT
The earliest permanent stages in China were those belonging to temples, made of stone and brick with ornate roofs. They were simple platforms with no curtain or proscenium built high above the ground and surrounded on three sides by the spectators. The performances were paid for by the wealthy men of the neighbourhood and the populace stood or sat in the open courtyard of the temple to see the performance. It was the temple stage which served as a prototype for that of the permanent playhouse of later centuries as well as the private stage used in Imperial palaces and noblemen’s houses. The theatre early came under the patronage of the Court and it was the custom for companies of actors to entertain the officials and their high ranking guests in the main hall of palace or mansion. The tradition of private performances has only died out within very recent times and well to do people regularly invited actors to perform before their guests on special occasions such as weddings. In such cases if there was a stage at all it would be a temporary one although this was more often than not dispensed with. A well-known example of a private stage still in existence is that built for the Empress Dowager in the Summer Palace at Peking. This is somewhat more elaborate than most, being built in three stories with special devices which allowed evil spirits to appear on the stage from below and celestial beings from the second storey above. The building is in stone with glazed tile roofs and pillared supports. The ordinary people were not admitted to performances such as those described above and after the temple stages by far the most common kind of public theatres were temporary structures of planks, bamboo poles and matting erected with in a few hours and dismantled as quickly. Travelling troupes went all over the country giving performances in country towns and villages in the festival seasons and were paid for their entertainment by popular subscription, there being no admission charges as such. These kinds of performances are still common in China today. Even in sophisticated Hong Kong and its outlying territory it is still common to see the ‘matshed’ theatres, although Coca Cola and patent medicine advertisements above the stage perhaps add a slightly more modern touch and the plays are those of the local Cantonese drama.
