朱恒夫 廖夏璇

尽管“剧本是一剧之本”多是针对话剧而言的，但对戏曲来说，剧本也是一部戏的重要基础，尤其是要演出思想丰富、结构完整、情节复杂、人物众多的大戏，倘若没有剧本，其舞台呈现是难以想象的。再从戏曲发展史的角度来看，如果没有《目连救母》、《张协状元》、“荆刘拜杀”、《琵琶记》等剧本的产生，南戏不可能兴盛，更不可能向外埠传播；如果没有关汉卿、王实甫、白朴、马致远等一大批剧作家辛勤创作出数以百计的高质量的剧本，元杂剧就不可能成为戏曲的第一个高峰；如果没有以《浣纱记》《鸣凤记》《牡丹亭》《一捧雪》《桃花扇》《长生殿》《雷峰塔》等剧本为依托，昆剧不可能走出吴地、霸据全国菊坛二百多年。就演员成长为名角来说，剧本亦是一个不可或缺的重要因素，尽管悦耳的唱腔与出色的表演是必要的条件，但是，如果梅兰芳没有剧本《贵妃醉酒》《天女散花》等，程砚秋没有剧本《锁麟囊》《荒山泪》等，袁雪芬没有剧本《梁山伯与祝英台》《祥林嫂》《西厢记》等，仅凭演唱的技艺，他们不可能誉满海内外。

自20世纪80年代初开始，戏曲日趋衰弱，其原因固然是多方面的，但没有编写出一定数量的好剧本无疑是重要的原因之一。就目前的情况而言，戏曲界不缺一流的剧团、一流的演员，但是，缺少一流的剧本。缺少，不是说没有，而是很少。就问世的剧本数量而言，其实是很多的，据不完全统计，全国戏曲界每年创作的“大戏”“小戏”的剧本，总量不少于1000部。然而，能搬上舞台的却不到100部，得到上至专家下至普通百姓赞誉的则不到10部，能经常演出且有市场票房的更少，至多一两部。由此可见，戏曲的“剧本荒”，不是没有剧本，而是没有高质量的一流剧本。

那么，今日什么样的剧本才能算作一流的呢？我们以为，至少须具备下列五点。

一是在剧旨上既表现出民族传统的优秀道德观、价值观、社会观，又反映现代精神，不但能陶冶人的情操，净化人的心灵，提升人的品质，给予人积极向上的正能量，还能引导人们做一个“现代人”。

二是讲述了一个“好故事”，其故事头尾完整，情节曲折，事奇但合理，且能引人入胜。

三是塑造出鲜明的人物形象，人物的行动都有外部环境和心理的依据，主要人物都是立体的、血肉丰满的，而不是平面的、道德符号的，其正面人物还具有民族的品格与气质，甚至体现出所在地域的文化品性。

四是结构严谨，矛盾冲突激烈，能够将观众带进戏中，和喜欢的人物一起哭、一起笑，其喜怒哀乐的情感与人物的命运一起起伏波动。

五是曲词与宾白的语言具有诗意性、民间性、协律性，既雅致又通俗，既是通用的国语又带有方言的特色，既符合语法又合剧种的曲律。更进一步的，则其口吻完全符合人物的身份与性格，一些对白还蕴涵着深意。

而今日多数甚至绝大多数剧本，之所以落入二流、三流，甚至不入流，是因为它们带有这样那样的毛病。归纳起来，主要有以下五个方面。

一是把戏曲当作自己对历史、文化、哲学的思考所得和个人理解的所谓“时代精神”的传声筒，肆意地对传统文化进行批判性的解读，而不顾及大多数人奉行的道德观、价值观、历史观与社会观。

二是有意地选择与重大纪念日合拍的或能够颂扬当地名人的题材，其目的是将所编戏剧纳入“主旋律”或成为地方上的一张“名片”，以得到政府倾斜性的资金支持。

三是所述故事缺乏生活的依据，情节离奇，不合逻辑，结构松散，其戏剧冲突也多是人为构建的。

四是人物形象仅是作者“思想”的代言者，不要说没有达到“典型环境中典型人物”的高度，连类型化的人物也不是。个性不鲜明，性格不突出，甚至都算不上是个“人”。

五是语言不自然、不合律。无论是古人还是今人，说出来的话都不太像“人话”。曲词为了整饬和押韵，生造词语。因为剧作者不了解民间语言和缺少语言表达能力，人物说出来的都是套话、官话、假话，令人听来别扭、生厌。

客观地说，中华人民共和国成立之后，由于党和政府高度重视戏曲，产生了数以百计的优秀剧目，其中有很多经受住了时间的考验，不仅成为所在剧种的骨子戏，还进入了当代戏曲史，甚至进入了当代文学史。为什么在同样的社会环境中，有的人创作的作品能受到广大观众持久的欢迎，而有的人编写的剧目演不了一两场，就收锣歇鼓？原因固然是多方面的，但深入考察成功的戏曲剧作家的生平与创作道路，也有共性的规律可循。即：

他们由衷地热爱戏曲，长期地浸泡在戏曲之中，或曾经做过戏曲演员，或是戏曲忠实的观众。他们阅读过古今大量的戏曲剧作，把握戏曲的美学特质，熟稔戏曲艺术的表现手法。故而写出来的剧本是戏曲的，而不是话剧的、歌剧的；是可供舞台演出的，而不是仅能作为案头读物的。

他们既了解中华民族传统文化的精髓，又有现代的观念，喜欢对历史进行思考、对现实生活进行观察，努力与时代同步是他们共同的特点。他们多数出生于社会的底层，本身就是普通百姓的一员，故而了解大众的喜怒哀乐和大众的愿望。更重要的是，即使日后社会地位变了，但是，为百姓的根本利益着想，为他们的要求呼号，尊重普通百姓的欣赏习惯，这一初心始终不变。故而他们所写的剧本保持着戏曲的草根特性，能满足广大观众的心理与审美要求。

他们乐于接受新生的事物，能用辩证的观点来看待戏曲的发展，所以，他们在创编剧本的时候，不但运用新的表现手法，还自觉地考虑到表演、音乐、舞美等运用新的艺术形式。因此，编演的剧目，守正而开新，既保持了传统，又富有时代的气息，无论是年老的观众还是年轻的观众都能从中得到艺术的享受。

当然，每一位戏曲剧作家都有独特的创作经历和创作经验，会给不同的戏曲剧本的创作者以不同的启发，为了给在振兴的道路上艰难跋涉的戏曲助一把力，我们邀请了一批戏曲研究者，尤其是青年学者，认真细致地研究当代戏曲剧作家的作品，调查他们的创作历程，探析他们的创作方法，总结他们的创作经验，当然，也会指出其不足，以让同道者在他们的起点上创作出更好的剧本。

当代剧作家数以百计，限于时间和精力，我们不可能对所有的剧作家进行深入的研究，只能设定一个标准进行遴选，其标准是：创作了一定数量的剧目，这些剧目在上演后产生了较大影响，且多数剧目受到广大观众由衷喜爱并推动了一个剧种或整个戏曲发展的剧作家。用这个较为严苛的标准，我们遴选出了20多位当代剧作家。但由于研究者水平有限，所总结的创作经验和缺憾不一定完全符合实际，因而，我们敬请剧作家本人和广大读者批评指正。

Zhu Hengfu Liao Xiaxuan Although "the script is the script of a play" is mostly for drama, for opera, the script is also an important foundation for a play, especially to perform a big drama with rich ideas, complete structure, complex plot and many characters. From the perspective of the history of the development of opera, without the production of scripts such as "Mu Lian Saving Mother", "Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan", "Jing Liu Bai Kill", "Pipa Ji", etc., Southern Opera would not have been able to prosper, let alone spread to foreign ports; Without a large number of playwrights such as Guan Hanqing, Wang Shifu, Bai Pu, and Ma Zhiyuan who worked hard to create hundreds of high-quality plays, Yuan miscellaneous opera could not have become the first peak of opera; Without the support of scripts such as "Huan Sha Ji", "Ming Feng Ji", "Peony Pavilion", "A Handful of Snow", "Peach Blossom Fan", "Hall of Eternal Life" and "Leifeng Pagoda", Kunming Opera would not have been able to go out of Wudi and dominate the national Jutan for more than 200 years. In terms of the actor's growth into a famous role, the script is also an indispensable and important factor, although a pleasant singing voice and excellent performance are necessary conditions, but if Mei Lanfang does not have the script "The Concubine Drunk", "The Heavenly Lady Scattered Flowers", etc., Cheng Yanqiu does not have the script "Lock Linsang", "Barren Mountain Tears", etc., Yuan Xuefen does not have the script "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", "Xianglin Sister-in-law", "Xixian Ji", etc., just with their singing skills, they cannot be famous at home and abroad. Since the early 80s of the 20th century, opera has become weaker and weaker, although there are many reasons for this, but the failure to write a certain number of good scripts is undoubtedly one of the important reasons. As far as the current situation is concerned, there is no shortage of first-class troupes and first-class actors in the Chinese opera industry, but there is a lack of first-class scripts. Lacking, not that there is none, but very little. According to incomplete statistics, the total number of "big plays" and "small plays" created by the national opera industry every year is not less than 1,000. However, less than 100 films can be put on the stage, less than 10 films can be praised by experts and ordinary people, and even fewer can be performed regularly and have a market box office, at most one or two. It can be seen that the "script shortage" of opera is not that there is no script, but that there is no high-quality first-class script. So, what kind of script counts as top-notch today? In our view, at least the following five points must be met. First, in the purpose of the play, it not only shows the excellent morality, values, and social views of the national tradition, but also reflects the modern spirit, which can not only cultivate people's sentiments, purify people's hearts, improve people's qualities, give people positive energy, but also guide people to be a "modern person". The second is to tell a "good story", whose story is complete at the beginning and end, with twists and turns, strange but reasonable, and fascinating. The third is to create a distinct character image, the actions of the characters have an external environment and psychological basis, the main characters are three-dimensional, flesh and blood, rather than flat, moral symbols, and its positive characters also have the character and temperament of the nation, and even reflect the cultural character of the local area. Fourth, the structure is rigorous, the contradictions and conflicts are intense, which can bring the audience into the play, cry and laugh together with the characters they like, and their emotions of joy, anger and sorrow fluctuate with the fate of the characters. Fifth, the language of the lyrics and the words is poetic, folk and coordinated, elegant and popular, both universal Chinese and dialect characteristics, both in line with grammar and drama rhythm. Further, the tone is completely in line with the identity and character of the characters, and some of the dialogue also contains deep meaning. And most or even most of today's scripts fall into the second-rate, third-rate, or even not in the flow because they have such and such problems. To sum up, there are mainly the following five aspects. The first is to use opera as a sounding board for the so-called "spirit of the times" gained from their own thinking on history, culture and philosophy and personal understanding, and arbitrarily interpret traditional culture critically, without taking into account the morality, values, historical and social views pursued by most people. The second is to deliberately choose themes that coincide with major anniversaries or can glorify local celebrities, with the aim of incorporating the plays into the "main theme" or becoming a local "business card" in order to obtain preferential financial support from the government. Third, the story lacks a basis for life, the plot is bizarre, illogical, loosely structured, and its dramatic conflicts are mostly artificially constructed. Fourth, the character image is only the spokesperson of the author's "thought", not to mention that it has not reached the height of "typical characters in a typical environment", and even typed characters are not. The personality is not distinct, the personality is not prominent, and it is not even a "person". Fifth, the language is unnatural and unlawful. Whether it is ancient or today, the words spoken are not very like "human words". The lyrics are used to make up words for neatness and rhyme. Because the playwright does not understand the folk language and lacks the ability to express language, the characters say stereotypes, official words, and falsehoods, which make people sound awkward and boring. Objectively speaking, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, because the Party and the government attached great importance to opera, hundreds of excellent plays were produced, many of which have withstood the test of time and have not only become bone plays in their genres, but also entered the history of contemporary opera and even entered the history of contemporary literature. Why is it that in the same social environment, some people's works can be enduringly welcomed by a wide audience, while some people's plays can't be performed in one or two performances, and then the gong stops? Of course, the reasons are many, but there are also common rules to follow by in-depth examination of the life and creative path of successful opera playwrights. That is, they sincerely love opera, have been immersed in opera for a long time, or have been opera actors, or are loyal audiences of opera. They have read a large number of opera works in ancient and modern times, grasp the aesthetic characteristics of opera, and are familiar with the expression techniques of opera art. Therefore, the script written is operatic, not drama or opera; It is available for stage performances, not just desk reading. They not only understand the essence of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, but also have modern concepts, like to think about history, observe real life, and strive to keep pace with the times is their common characteristic. Most of them were born at the bottom of society, themselves members of the common people, and thus understood the joys and sorrows of the masses and the wishes of the masses. More importantly, even if the social status changes in the future, the original intention of thinking about the fundamental interests of the people, calling for their demands, and respecting the appreciation habits of ordinary people has always remained unchanged. Therefore, the scripts they write maintain the grassroots character of opera and can meet the psychological and aesthetic requirements of the general audience. They are willing to accept new things and can view the development of opera from a dialectical point of view, so when creating scripts, they not only use new expression techniques, but also consciously consider the use of new art forms such as performance, music, and choreography. Therefore, the repertoire is upright and new, maintaining tradition and full of contemporary atmosphere, and both old audiences and young audiences can enjoy art from it. Of course, each opera playwright has a unique creative experience and creative experience, will give different inspiration to the creators of different opera scripts, in order to help the difficult trudge on the road of revitalization of opera, we have invited a group of opera researchers, especially young scholars, to carefully and meticulously study the works of contemporary opera playwrights, investigate their creative process, explore their creative methods, summarize their creative experience, of course, will also point out their shortcomings. to allow fellow practitioners to create better scripts at their starting point. There are hundreds of contemporary playwrights, and limited by time and effort, it is impossible to conduct in-depth research on all playwrights, and we can only set one criterion for selection, which is that a certain number of plays have been created, which have had a great impact after they have been staged, and most of which are loved by a wide audience and promote the development of a genre or the entire opera. Using this more stringent criteria, we selected more than 20 contemporary playwrights. However, due to the limited level of researchers, the creative experience and shortcomings summarized may not be completely in line with reality, so we ask the playwright himself and the general reader to criticize and correct.（AI翻译）