The 12th Wuzhen Theatre Festival, themed "Swirling Up," will be held from October 16 to 26.
Wuzhen, in neighboring Zhejiang Province, is an ancient water town known for its well-preserved 16th-century structures and stone bridges, making it an ideal backdrop for drama, literature and art.
The festival is divided into six sections: "Specially Invited," "Emerging Theatre," "Wuzhen Dialogues," "Outdoor Carnival," "Theatre Night Market" and "Granary Reverie."
The 11-day theater extravaganza will feature 25 plays from 10 countries which will be staged in the 10 theaters in Wuzhen for 71 performances.
"Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel" by Chinese director Meng Jinghui
The 25 plays comprise 15 cutting-edge works from countries like France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia, Norway, Ireland and Malaysia, as well as 10 top Chinese dramas.
The much-anticipated Opening Production is the monumental "Anthropolis-Marathon," directed by Karin Beier, one of the most famed contemporary German theater masters.
Written by renowned playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig, this five-part epic based on Greek myths covers 9 hours and chronicles the saga from the founding of the seven-gated city to Antigone's fate. Lena Becker, "Queen of Monodrama," delivers a tour-de-force, portraying five characters for two intense hours.
Acclaimed for its narrative, performance, staging and duration, the production has swept major theater awards.
Famed Chinese director Stan Lai will bring his newly re-envisioned "Flowers in the Mirror, Moon on the Water."
After three years of persistent invitations and six trips to Germany, "Anthropolis-Marathon" finally makes its Chinese and Asian debut in Wuzhen. The production involves over 72 professionals and 90 actors from Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, along with 400 set pieces from Berlin.
Other highlights of the 12th Wuzhen Theatre Festival include "Cocteau Davis," written and directed by Canadian master Robert Lepage with Ex Machina.
Japanese theater legend Suzuki Tadashi comes with his SCOT company for the 25th-anniversary production of "Cyrano de Bergerac," adapted from Edmond Rostand's novel.
"Shadow," written by Norwegian Nobel laureate Jon Fosse and directed by Kari Holtan, explores existential questions through the perspective of children.
French contemporary theater figure Arthur Nauzyciel and Théâtre National de Bretagne will present the poetic drama "Mes Frères" that features acclaimed actor Pascal Gregory.
Chinese avant-garde director Meng Jinghui will also debut his new work "Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel," adapted from Jean Cocteau's masterpiece, and famed Chinese director Stan Lai will bring his newly re-envisioned "Flowers in the Mirror, Moon on the Water," weaving female empowerment with Eastern philosophy in a "Countess of Monte Cristo" tale.
Japanese theater legend Suzuki Tadashi comes with his SCOT company for the 25th-anniversary production of "Cyrano de Bergerac," adapted from Edmond Rostand's novel.
"The Starting Line" will evolve into a pioneering new unit, introducing an innovative theatrical model of script-in-hand readings. Positioned as the launchpad for Chinese-language theater, it will become a hub for theatrical promotion and trade.
Following its first exposure last year, "Dream Granary" will continue its bold innovation with sharp artistic vision. This year, it has a special focus on "Women, We Are: Female Directors Unit."
The Theatre Market will be held along the canal, transforming into a more vibrant destination that will include dialogues, workshops and play readings.
This year, the festival will also work with its special partner POP MART via a special Wuzhen- exclusive edition of Hirono.
The schedule
The main poster, "Swirling Up" is designed by Xu Bing, a pivotal figure in conceptual art.
There will be two rounds of ticket sales – at 10am on August 17 and 10am on September 3 – respectively, via www.damai.cn
The ticket price of specially invited plays is set at 380 yuan (US$52.9).