20世纪二三十年代伴随着民众教育运动产生的民众教育戏剧，既是中国现代戏剧史上独特而丰富的一页，也是民众教育活动中的重要一环。参与民教戏剧的各种类型的知识分子，在启蒙民众与艺术实验的交叉点上，进行了丰富多样的探索，并取得了可观的成果，但由于这一运动与左翼戏剧分属不同潮流，具有政府上层和西方国家支持的背景，所以长时间以来未得到足够的关注，本论文希望通过重理这段历史，弥补中国现代戏剧史叙述的缺失。 对于戏剧启蒙的民间实践、现代中国戏剧的民间走向等问题的研究而言，民众教育戏剧提供了清晰的分析样本。经过“现代”思潮洗礼、怀抱着政治启蒙与艺术实验双重诉求的民教戏剧工作者深入到乡土中国，也就被放置到了国家、地方精英与大众共同构成的复杂地方权力网络之中，他们对民教戏剧设想和期待，与实际置身的现实之间既有和谐适应的一面，又存在难以融洽的紧张关系，正是这样的复杂情景培育了他们的新的戏剧观。在与民间传统艺术的多元元素碰撞之后，民教戏剧实验突破了现代戏剧文类的“框架”，呈现出一种跨文类交融的品格，对日后形式更趋灵活多元的抗战戏剧产生了深远影响。 从文本分析入手，结合其他学科资源去深入一段历史现象背后的复杂性，是比较文学研究的重要方法之一。本文选择当时具有典型性的河北省立城乡民众教育馆（分别位于通县和杨村）以及中华平民教育促进会（定县）的民教戏剧活动和剧目文本作为研究对象，结合华北区域社会史的考察，分析民众教育戏剧的理想、华北地方权力与民教戏剧的启蒙理想表达、民间社会中民教戏剧的剧艺演变等问题，在此基础上，对民众教育戏剧在现代中国戏剧史上的位置、意义和所发挥的作用提出了新的见解。
In the 1920s and 1930s, with the trend of the “Mass Education Movement”, the so-called “Mass Education Drama Movement” had also entered its golden time, which occupied the particularly special position both in the history of Chinese modern drama and the history of the “Mass Education Movement”. But it is regrettable that as supported by Nanjing National Government and western countries, the “Mass Education Drama Movement” was in the dilemma of being ignored. Objectively speaking, the “Mass Education Drama Movement” had provided us a clear example to study on the problems such as “Drama and the Mass Enlightenment” and “the development of modern Chinese drama and its local flavor”. When the Mass Education Dramatists, who had accepted “modern thought” and with political and art ideals in their minds, entered into the grassroots society, they were not only in face with their own confusion, but also facing a complicated local power network which constructed by the central and local authorities, the rural leaders and the common people. Therefore, it shows a kind of subtle intense between the ideals of the intellectuals and the reality. Meanwhile, because of the symbiosis with the traditional operas and folk arts, the Mass Education Drama have made a breakthrough at the modern drama’s genre and this characteristic of “cross-genre” gave a profound influence on the subsequent drama in China’s Anti-Japanese War propaganda. In view of the above reason, this essay will choose Hebei Urban/ Rural Mass Education Institution (separately located in Tongxian and Yangcun) and Chinese National Association of the Mass Education (located in Dingxian) as the objects of study, and combine the research of drama scripts with Regional Social History of North China, then try to make a just and fair evaluation of the “Mass Education Drama Movement” and its historical significance.
