Musical gets into the zone of creativity

"I visited from time to time, and since I opened my theater, I have been able to have a closer look at the place," he says.

He hopes to get the audience involved in the last scene of the musical, which is about the moment the district is about to launch its inaugural art festival.

"It would be great to have the audience onstage, as if they are visitors to the festival," he says. "I like the audience to be part of my musicals, and it gives them a different theater experience."

Xiao Ke is classically trained. He began to learn the piano at 12, and formed his first band at 19, and has been working in the music business ever since. The singer-songwriter's eponymous album was released in 1996 and he is best known for folk-pop songs. He has written five albums of his own, and songs for other pop stars, including Because of Love by pop diva Faye Wong and Hong Kong singer Eason Chan. One of his most famous songs is Beijing Welcomes You, which was played to mark the 100-day countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

To date, the theater has staged 13 musicals by Xiao Ke. His musical love trilogy, including Wenwende Xingfu (Stable Happiness) and Dengni Aiwo (Waiting for You to Love Me), has been a particular hit.

Last year, his musical Under the West Bell, was staged to mark the theater's 10th anniversary. It told the story of Chinese rock bands in the 1980s, and won over a lot of fans with its bold idea.

"I invited the audience to decide how much they wanted to pay for their ticket after they'd watched the musical," he says. "It was an experiment, and exceeded my expectations. One man paid 10,000 yuan ($1,369), while another paid 8 yuan. It was fun. I am confident in my musicals."

Asked why he decided to open his own theater, Xiao Ke says that he was inspired by his late father.

"My father served in the army. He was tall and strong. However, he got sick, became very thin and died in a hospital bed. I don't want to die in a hospital. I want to die onstage. The theater will help me fulfill that wish, as long as I keep on producing great musicals," he says.