Beijing People's Art Theatre showcases Chinese theatre in Shanghai

The star-studded cast of the play Tea House, a celebrated repertoire of Beijing People's Art Theatre, announced the start of the theater's residential project in Shanghai on Oct 13.

Arguably the most esteemed theater company in China, Beijing People's Art Theatre built a repertoire of more than 300 productions since its founding in 1952. The ongoing residential project is part of the program of the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Starting from the performance of Tea House at Shangyin Opera House on Oct 14 to 16, the company will present five plays altogether in Shanghai until Nov 9, and hold a series of workshops, lectures, and other public educational events.

Since the company's first large-scale tour to Shanghai in 1961, Beijing People's Art Theatre has made several important visits to the city. Tea House is one of the most renowned productions featuring household names of actors such as Pu Cunxin, Yang Lixin, Wu Gang, Feng Yuanzheng, and so on. The play premiered in 1958 and is known to "encapsulate the history of theater art in China," said Feng, director of the theater. The touring version, starring the second-generation cast of the show, alongside with a group of young actors, reflected the "inheritance of the theatrical tradition of the company," he said.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, a play adapted from the Pulitzer-prize winning novel by Herman Wouk, will be performed on Oct 20 to 22, and Sunrise, a play by modern Chinese theatrical master Cao Yu, who was also the first director of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, will be presented from Oct 26-28.

Poet Du Fu by playwright Guo Hongqi, depicting the life-story of the poet in the Tang Dynasty, will be shown from Nov 1 to 3, and Beneath the Red Banner, a new interpretation of the unfinished novel of the same title by Lao She, will be staged on Nov 7 to 9.