"New viewers, please give us a like and join our fan club—the entire show today is packed with highlights." At 18:00 on July 22, Chengdu Art Theatre brought its Lotus Award-winning dance drama Nuli Can (Endeavor Dining Hall) to Douyin's Group Live streaming platform, marking the production's debut online broadcast. From July 22 to 24, Nuli Can participated in Douyin's "Great Performances on Group Live" initiative—a program supporting classic theatrical works—with three consecutive live streams, making the theatre the first performing arts institution in southwest China to be selected for this program.

A still from the dance drama Nuli Can

The group live stream was conducted in a studio of several dozen square meters in Wuhou District, Chengdu, without traditional stage curtains or audience seating. A screen on the back wall displayed visual effects, while the open space between the equipment and the screen served as the performance area. Unlike conventional theater broadcasts that use fixed horizontal framing, this group live stream adopted a vertical format. To accommodate this, the creative team spent months in advance making adjustments: simplifying props, reducing the cast by nearly half, and employing a cameraperson to dynamically track performers throughout the show, using multi-angle shots to ensure all choreography remained fully visible. The narrative structure was also reconfigured into episodic segments, featuring eight core dance sequences that distilled the storyline while preserving its artistic essence.

Screenshot from the group live stream of Nuli Can

Wang Zichang, the project lead, noted that vertical-format livestreaming, through close-ups and medium shots, clearly captures details such as costumes and facial expressions—elements often difficult to discern in traditional theater settings. Although performers cannot see audience members' faces, this format effectively narrows the aesthetic distance between artists and viewers.

Screenshot from the group live stream of Nuli Can

This was not Chengdu Art Theatre's first foray into group livestreaming. Previously, its male dance ensemble had already established regular livestreams featuring classical and ethnic dance pieces, building popularity through real-time interaction. During intermissions of the Nuli Can broadcast, members of the male ensemble also served as announcers. According to data, since launching their livestream on May 16, the male ensemble's channel has accumulated over 2.32 million impressions and attracted more than 360,000 viewer sessions, successfully establishing an online "second stage. Actor Li Zhi observed that group livestreaming demands performers develop both camera awareness and choreographic thinking, requiring precise positioning to align with the rhythm of the camera.

Zhang Guoqiang added that livestreaming provides immediate audience feedback through real-time comments, enabling dancers to adjust their performance instantly—a significant advantage over the delayed feedback typical of traditional stage productions.

Rehearsal photo of the group performance of Nuli Can

Liao Yili, Party Secretary of the theatre, revealed that the group livestream channel currently generates monthly revenue of approximately RMB 200,000, having already covered operational costs within two months. She emphasized that group livestreaming features low entry barriers, broad reach, and precise audience targeting, allowing performances to transcend spatial and temporal constraints, expand viewership, and open new revenue streams. According to Douyin data, over 50 state-owned performing arts troupes nationwide have launched regular group livestreams, collectively hosting more than 16,000 sessions and attracting over 320 million viewer sessions. Excerpts from acclaimed productions such as "Green Landscape Only" have received widespread acclaim.

Rehearsal photo of the group broadcast of Nuli Can

Liao Yili disclosed that the theatre plans to leverage its experience to build a multi-account matrix, adding dedicated livestream channels for its acrobatics troupe, drama troupe, and other ensembles to cater to diverse aesthetic preferences. She stressed that in the short-video era, performing arts institutions must proactively adapt to new media trends, deepen their investment in digital performance content, and ensure high-quality cultural offerings remain aligned with evolving audience consumption contexts to continuously expand their influence.

【本文部分内容由AI辅助生成，特此声明。The author(s) generated part of the content in this work with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), which is hereby declared.】