2005年11月5日上午，北京和敬公主府披红挂翠，洋溢着喜庆的气氛，中日友谊戏剧奖在这里隆重举行。
　　主持人高声宣布中日友谊戏剧奖得主为谢群英，并朗读专家的评语：“谢群英在2004年主演新编大型越剧《流花溪》，以纯正的金派唱腔，深刻的内心体验，层次分明的表演，从少女演到中年，塑造了秋花这一动人的悲剧形象，表现出很强的人物塑造能力，特授予中日戏剧友谊奖。”话音一落，当即激起雷鸣般的掌声。
　　此时一个秀丽的江南女子娉娉婷婷地走上主席台，朝颁奖的戏剧理论家刘厚生深深地一鞠躬。她就是杭州越剧院国家一级演员谢群英。她曾获第十五届中国梅花奖、第十一届文华表演奖、第七届中国艺术节观众最喜爱演员奖等等。她从刘厚生手里接过奖杯，激动的泪水盈满眼眶。主持人将话筒递给谢群英，谢群英动情地说：“我从9岁开始学艺，到今天登上这项国际性奖项的领奖台，感慨颇多：一是设立这奖项的有‘中国戏剧活辞典’之称的日本已故戏剧评论家杉山太郎先生，他是那么热爱中国戏剧，他不仅捐资奖励中国戏剧演员，而且死后连骨灰也撒在中国的土地上，这种精神深深地打动了我；二是我所在的杭州越剧院的团队精神非常好，可以说没有这个团队，没有《流花溪》，就没有今天幸运的我……。”
　　颁奖会一结束，一位日本评委走过来握住谢群英的手说：“你获奖后的讲话非常好。”另一位日本评委说：“我看过你的演出，非常棒!你明年有什么新戏，我们会从日本赶到杭州来。”谢群英高兴地说：“明年三月我们团有新剧目调演，欢迎你们来杭州!”
　　中日戏剧友谊奖一届只颁给一名中国越剧演员，因此在整个颁奖活动中，谢群英自始至终牵动了无数观众的视线，闪光灯始终在她身上不停地闪烁。
　　谢群英说，她的这项国际级奖项的桂冠，是《流花溪》给她“流”来的。《流花溪》演的是清末民国初一个古老封闭大家族故事，这个家族四代女人为了自己的命运而相互争斗。谢群英饰演的秋花从18岁到44岁、从柔情少女到无情婆婆，其间争斗变化多端，高潮迭起。谢群英自接演女主角秋花的戏之后，一直沉迷在角色的内心世界里。她说：“我一接新戏，满脑子都是剧中那些活生生的人物。”由于秋花一角贯穿全剧，时间跨度大，扮演的难度也大。谢群英四处奔走请教，查阅相关资料，并到安徽有清代民居的地方深入生活，精心设计人物的动作和唱腔。谢群英总是浸沉在《流花溪》剧情中，她在家里洗衣时误把洗衣粉错倒进冰箱里，烧菜时放盐时却放了糖，坐公交车她想着想着就唱了起来，晚上看电视剧竟一边看电视一边做起了《流花溪》里的动作，引得家人大笑不止。她用常人难以企及的勤奋换来了成功，将一个活生生的秋花形象成功地展现在舞台上，将一个充满江南韵致的哀婉女子的传奇带给了观众。
　　
　　《流花溪》在杭州、北京、上海、武汉、长沙等地演出时，戏剧专家好评如潮，观众表现了超乎寻常的喜爱；有位杭州越剧迷生怕谢群英连续演出唱坏嗓子，戏散场后还特地赶到后台对她说：“姑娘你累不累呀?唱了这么久别把嗓子唱哑了。”谢群英回答说：“我的嗓子天生就好，又是真假声结合用嗓，不会唱坏。”观众中还有特地从日本飞到杭州来看戏的戏剧专家，对谢群英饰演的秋花少女时的活泼、媳妇时的雍容、婆婆时的沉静赞不绝口。
　　如果说《流花溪》为谢群英获得国际级奖铺设了平台，那么她那1997年的《谢群英折子戏专场》，是她编织“梅花奖”桂冠的重要一步。谢群英为折子戏专场倾心尽力，她从剧目的选择、人物的内心规划以及演出的包装，无不力求完美。她将《碧玉簪·归宁》中的李秀英演得典雅沉稳，极有大家闺秀风范；将《牡丹对药》中的玲珑少女白牡丹演得俏皮灵动，意趣盎然；将《玉蜻蜓·庵堂认母》中的王志贞演得凄婉动人，炉火纯青，专家和观众无不为她饰演的这些角色交口称赞!当谢群英当之无愧地荣获“梅花奖”后，祝贺电话一直不断，更有个千里之外观众打来的长途电话直叫她感动不已!
　　谢群英9岁进艺训班，14岁进越剧团。她在学艺中看越剧电影《碧玉簪》入了迷，竟连看十多遍，于是《碧玉簪》成了她的拿手戏，特别是“三盖衣”一折，她运用大段唱腔将人物内心剪不断理还乱的情感如同剥笋般地层层剥落，每当演出，台下观众便喝彩连连。有一次她带病上台演出，唱到动情处体力不支，竟昏倒在地，然而当她醒来之后，仍坚持将《三盖衣》演完。台下观众感动万分，纷纷买来瓜果慰问她。几年来，她从国内演到国外，先后赴美国、加拿大、新加坡、日本等演出。
　　
　　谢群英人缘好，戏迷也多，甚至连女儿的班主任也是她的戏迷。有次开家长会，谢群英刚走进教室，班主任就对她说：“你的《流花溪》演得好，我对你女儿说过，要她好好向妈妈学习，不断努力奋斗。”
　　尽管谢群英头上有那么多光环，但她淡泊明志，从不张扬。她视观众为上帝，常年坚持下乡演出。她像一个虔诚的朝圣者，永远把自己的心扉向戏迷敞开。作为一个戏曲演员，她已经得到了许多的荣誉，但她并不满足，她是一个为戏剧而活着的人，是一个为观众而活的人!从北京领奖回来，她对来访的记者说：“以后我要加倍努力，创造出更好的观众喜爱的作品!”
　　
　　Yue Opera Actress Wins International Honor
　　By Zhao Zheng, staff reporter of Cultural Dialogue
　　
　　Xie Qunying is no stranger to professional honors. A state first-class artist and leading actress of Hangzhou Yue Opera Troupe, she has bagged the country’s highest awards in her career. By winning the China-Japan Friendship Theater Award in Beijing on the morning of November 5, 2005, however, she has added an international honor to her acting career in Yue Opera, which originated in Zhejiang province and has grown into a national phenomenon in the last century. This award is quite extraordinary.
　　Her leading role in Flower-Floating Stream won her the fame. It was a new Yue opera tour de force staged by Hangzhou Yue Opera Troupe in 2004. The play tells the story of a big family in the early 20th century China. Though the plot may not sound unordinary, Xie’s role is extraordinary. The female lead grows up from a tender-hearted 18-year-old girl to a stone-hearted 44-year-old mother-in-law in the play.It was a big challenge when Xie was chosen for the leading role.
　　In order to best interpret the role, Xie studied references available, consulted experts, went to visit ancient residences in Anhui Province, designed and fine-tuned her performance and singing. In those days of visualizing the role, Xie was totally immersed in the fictitious world. She was so absorbed by the new play that she became absent-minded about other things: she once poured washing powder into the refrigerator while doing laundry at home; she misplaced sugar into the dish she was preparing; while taking a bus, she thought of her arias and then without noticing herself, she began to hum a melody; while watching TV with her family at home one evening, she began to go through her moves in the play and the family burst into laughter.
　　Her whole-hearted dedication bore fruit. When the troupe staged the Flower-Floating Stream in Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Changsha and other cities, her performance won good reviews from critics as well as applauses from audiences. Some fans traveled hundreds of kilometers to see her. Some theatrical experts even flew from Japan to watch her performance.
　　Xie owes her successful career to her indefatigable efforts. When she took the acting lessons in a full-time training school she was 9. After graduation at 14, she entered the Hangzhou Yue Opera Troupe. To learn the performance of the Green Jade Hairpin, she watched the movie for more than 10 times. The arias of the play have become part of her repertoire. Her performances of highlights from Green Jade Hairpin have won hearts of her fans.
　　The Plum Blossom Prize she won in 1997 is another testimony to her dedication. In order to put on a solo show of highlights from various Yue Opera classics, she designed a meticulous plan. She wanted everything perfect: roles, costumes, interpretations of various characters. She wished that all things would come together in the solo show to display the highest artistic effects of contrast, difference, and harmony. With her dedication and preparations, success was only natural. When the solo show won her the Plum Blossom Award, her fans were fully convinced that she was worthy of the honor. Calls of congratulations flooded in.
　　Xie’s dedication is not award-oriented. She is dedicated to the traditional opera and audience. She goes on regular road shows in rural areas with the troupe. It’s part of her work. With the troupe, she has visited America, Canada, Japan and Singapore.
　　
　　(Translated by David)