20世紀40年代初期,以曹禺名劇《日出》的上演為開端,延安掀起了"大戲熱"表面看來,《日出》的上演是為了貫徹中共統一戰線策略,但深層的原因則是針對此前劇運當中倉促、粗疏的演出風氣,因此,魯迅藝術文學院等專業團體試圖通過上演經典劇目來提高演劇水平;延安戲劇界通過導演、演員及舞臺的多方面的整合,使演出獲得了極大成功,并引發了中外名劇竟相上演的熱潮。然而,在抗日戰爭的背景中,搬演經典名劇終因和現實相距過遠,無法走向大眾而陷入困境;加上"皖南事變"等外部危機的爆發,這一實踐最終被中斷。

In the early 1940 s, beginning with the performance of the famous play Sunrise by Cao Yu,an upsurge of "full-scale drama" had arisen in Yan’an. On the surface, putting Sunrise on stage aimed at implementing the "united front" strategy. But the deep reason was that considering the rush and carelessness in the preceding performances of the theatrical movement, Lu Xun Art Academy and other professional groups tried to improve theatre by performing classic plays. Incorporating various aspects,including director, actor and stage, the performance was a great success. Thereupon, a lot of Chinese and foreign plays were performed in Yan’an. However, in the context of the Anti-Japanese War, the performance of classic plays failed to bridge the huge gap between theatre and reality, and was therefore caught in a dilemma. With some additional crises, such as the Southern Anhui Incident, such theatrical practice was finally interrupted.