Chapter 53 Preparations
Hearing that it could be done, Liu Zhou couldn't help but feel happy.

Since President Xu said it's okay, then there is no problem.

Liu Zhou immediately went to the boys' dormitory building and found Qin Hao.

"Mouse, I have now finished the play you mentioned last time."

"What drama?" Qin Hao asked puzzledly.

Damn, you really said it casually.

"It was half a month ago when we went to a restaurant that you asked me to put on a play to satisfy your acting craving?"

"Oh, I forgot, have you written the script?"

"Don't talk to me next time you drink!"

Qin Hao quickly stood up and said to Liu Zhou with an apologetic smile:
"It's my fault, it's my fault. I apologize. I was a little depressed at that time. Since you wrote the script, please show it to me."

Qin Hao was indeed a little embarrassed. He didn't expect that Liu Zhou would take his casual words so seriously and spend half a month writing the script.

Liu Zhou ignored this guy, put the script on his desk, and then lay down on Liu Ye's bed.

After more than half an hour, Liu Zhou was almost asleep when he heard a loud noise.

It turned out that it was Qin Hao who was slamming the table. He said excitedly:

"Lao Liu, your script is so great, I want to act in it, you must let me act in it!"

Liu Zhou rolled his eyes and said:

"Why would I come to you if I don't want you to act? Tell me, which role do you want to play?"

"Tie Nan! I want to play Zhou Tie Nan! I fell in love with this role as soon as I read the script."

"You are really good at choosing."

At the beginning, Zhou Tienan is an upright person with a strong sense of justice. He is impulsive and thoughtful, giving people the impression of an absolutely decent character in the film.

But after he encountered gunfire, his courage disappeared and he became timid and cowardly.

This change in him marks Zhou Tienan's transformation from an upright and courageous man to a more mature but tragic character who has lost his original values.

His story not only shows the multifaceted nature of human nature, but also triggers everyone's deep thinking about courage, justice and growth.

This role is indeed very outstanding.

Qin Hao was actually Liu Zhou’s first choice for Zhou Tienan.

Not only is he tall, his acting skills are also excellent, and he has enough passion for such a complex role.

"Old Liu, do you agree?"

"This role was originally prepared for you."

"Old Liu, you understand me too well!"

After saying that, he was about to give Liu Zhou a hug, but Liu Zhou quickly pushed him away.

"Don't bother, I have a girlfriend."

"Get lost, I'm not gay." Qin Hao cursed with a smile.

"Okay, no more jokes, let's quickly think of who to cast for the other roles."

"Don't you have anyone suitable in mind?"

"I came to you as soon as I finished writing the script. I don't have time to think about it, but I want Li Zi to play the role of Zhang Yiman."

Zhang Yiman, the most tragic character in the whole play, is undoubtedly the highlight of the entire drama and requires very high acting skills.

But Liu Zhou has confidence in Zeng Li's professional ability. In fact, the people who performed in this session all have very good professional abilities.

However, after graduation, you may not have enough resources and can only play supporting roles or stereotyped roles. Over time, if you lack self-control, your professional ability will naturally decline.

The most obvious one is Liu Ye. If you look at his later film and television dramas compared to his early ones, you can see that he is obviously not as talented.

The role of Zhang Yiman does not need to be too beautiful. Of course, if an ugly one is cast, it would be an insult to the audience.

The most important thing for this role is to have charm!

Although Zeng Li looks relatively traditional, the charm she reveals unintentionally can often make Liu Zhou stand up!
So this role is very suitable for Zeng Li. Zhang Yiman is also the kind of person who seems to be coquettish but is actually traditional and kind.

"Zeng Li is pretty good. I have an idea for the little coppersmith's wife who should be very suitable."

"Who?"

"Qin Hailu!"

"You know what, Sister Hai Lu is quite suitable. She has a bold and daring personality, which is similar to her personality."

"What about the others?"

Liu Zhou was silent for a while and then said:

"What do you think of letting Niu Qingfeng come to Pei Huaishan?"

"I think it's okay. The monitor's acting is pretty good, and if you put on some makeup, you can tell he's not a good person."

Liu Zhou also considered this point and felt that Niu Qingfeng was suitable. After graduation, he played villains in most TV dramas and movies, such as the familiar "Young Zhang Sanfeng", in which he played Zhang Qiqiao. "Mr. Donkey" is actually a metamorphosis, and every character in this play will change.

But the character of Pei Huaishan is a little different, because at the beginning of the play, we can feel that this character is not a good person.

To put it simply, this character is somewhat stereotyped.

The word "stereotype" itself has a somewhat derogatory meaning, but in terms of drama, stereotype is sometimes an advantage.

Drama has its own characteristics. Stereotyping can save the trouble of introducing the characters. The audience can roughly understand whether the character is good or bad at first sight.

Therefore, the role of Pei Huaishan needs to be played by someone who obviously does not look like a good person. Among the people Liu Zhou knows, Niu Qingfeng is undoubtedly the most suitable person.

Now three main characters have been confirmed, and the remaining ones are Principal Sun, the principal's daughter Jia Jia, the little coppersmith and the special envoy.

After the two of them discussed it, they felt that Hu Jing was more suitable for the role of Jia Jia, but they couldn't think of anyone else who would be suitable.

Liu Zhou simply stopped thinking about it and decided to first identify these people, and then everyone could discuss it together. After all, together they could make a better decision.

Zeng Li went very smoothly, and Liu Zhouyi said he agreed as soon as he got the part, without even reading the script.

Then Niu Qingfeng was also very successful. The script was very much to his liking and he agreed as soon as he read the script.

When Hu Jing was invited, this woman kept clamoring to play Zhang Yiman after reading the script. Later, when she learned that Liu Zhou had given the role to Zeng Li, she reluctantly accepted it.

She also said to Zeng Li with a look of resentment:

"Next time I will find a talented boyfriend, so I won't have to worry about not having good roles to play!"

At this time, Hu Jing had already broken up with Tian Zheng. In fact, looking at the way they were in love, everyone thought that their relationship would not last long. Sure enough, they broke up not long after the start of their junior year.

However, although the two broke up, it seems that they get along more naturally.

Finally, the five of them decided to invite Cao Jun to play the role of the little coppersmith.

Although Cao Jun is now keen on fitness and has some well-developed muscles, his frame is not very big and he looks a bit thin when dressed.

The only trouble is that Cao Jun can't speak Mongolian, so he needs to learn a little. It's not necessary for him to speak it very well, he just needs to memorize the lines.

Then everyone thought Sun Minghao was suitable for the role of the special envoy, and finally there was no suitable candidate for the role of Principal Sun.

This role required an actor who was a little older, but in the end Liu Zhou made the decision to invite Tian Zheng to play this role and solve the age problem through makeup.

If he invited a teacher, Liu Zhou was worried that they would feel a little restrained, and he himself was also worried that it would be difficult to command them.

Now we are all classmates, so we can say whatever we want.

When Liu Zhou went to invite them, several people read the script and agreed.

This script looked good at first glance. Besides, I could rehearse it with my classmates. And it was clear that Liu Zhou was not making a fuss this time. Only a fool would not agree to it.

After the most important actors were confirmed, Liu Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. What remained were the talents behind the scenes such as lighting, props, costumes, and scenery.

These are the people who need least to worry.

Where is the Central Academy of Drama?
It is the highest institution for cultivating drama talents.

With Liu Zhou offering a certain amount of compensation, it was easy to invite senior students from the fourth year to come and help out, and even the ticket office was able to find people quickly. Their major was also very high-end, called art management.

However, Liu Zhou does not need tickets for the time being, and he does not know if he will have the opportunity to perform outside.

After inviting these people behind the scenes, Liu Zhou also discussed with them what costumes and props were needed.

After confirming it, Liu Zhou went straight to find his class teacher, Lao Huang, and wanted to order some props and costumes for the drama in the name of the school.

Customizing in the name of a school can be cheaper and of better quality.

This is what it means to sit under a big tree and enjoy the shade!

But you wouldn't know until you calculated it. Once you calculated it, you would be shocked. All these costumes, props, etc. would cost nearly 200,000 yuan in total.

This was a bit beyond Liu Zhou's expectations. He didn't expect that staging a play would be so expensive.

If no one watches it, then the money will be wasted. Of course, if the drama is popular, the cost can be spread out or even recovered by performing it more often.

Two hundred thousand was not a large sum for Liu Zhou. Besides, everyone had already been invited, so there was no reason to back down.

This was also Liu Zhou's first time as a director. Although it was a drama director, it was also his attempt at directing, and it was worth spending $200,000 on himself.

The script has already been distributed, and the costumes and props are also being produced in an orderly manner.

Finally, there is only one left, and that is the rehearsal space.

The best venue is of course the Experimental Theater, but this venue is almost always empty, with either students or teachers rehearsing or performing there.

But there is no better place now, so Liu Zhou can only apply.

As a junior in the school and a well-known student, the school still takes some care of me.

Finally, the Academic Affairs Office arranged for Liu Zhou to use the small theater every Wednesday and Saturday evening.

Liu Zhou was very satisfied with this, as it would allow him to have plenty of time for rehearsal.

By the time all these things were done, almost half a month had passed.

Liu Zhou felt particularly energetic when he was doing things, but now that all the affairs have been dealt with, he suddenly feels a little tired.

(End of this chapter)