Theater festival to take the stage in Shanghai

Modern Drama Valley, an annual theater festival hosted by Jing'an district of Shanghai, will take place from April 26 to May 13, when 24 productions from home and abroad will be presented in nine theaters.

Among the most anticipated shows are 887 by Canadian theater artist Robert Lepage, who will be making his first visit to Shanghai; The Life and Times of Michael K, a puppet show adapted from the novel of the same title by Nobel-Prize winning author J. M. Coetzee from South Africa; and Waiting for Godot by Greek director Theodoros Terzopoulos.

A special mini festival will be held during the Modern Drama Valley this year, to mark the 60th anniversary for the diplomatic ties between China and France, when theater productions from France are showcased, including Tempest Project by Theatre des Bouffes du Nord, Lento E Violento by Valentina Cortese, and Femme Capital by Company Tendres Bourreaux.

A pioneering artist within modern Peking opera art, Wu Hsing-Kuo and his Contemporary Legend Theatre joined hands with Shanghai-based Kunqu artist Zhang Jun to create a new adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The production was premiered at the 52nd Hong Kong Arts Festival earlier this year, and will have its mainland premiere during the Modern Drama Valley.

Aside from the formal theater performances, the festival will host more than 300 colorful public events all over Jing'an district.