Dancing toward meaningful connections

Festival gathers international theater companies for dazzling performances, experimental works and stories to inspire cultural dialogue, Chen Nan reports.

Every autumn, the established Beijing People's Art Theatre becomes the stage for an electrifying convergence of international theater companies, each bringing their most avant-garde, experimental, and critically acclaimed works to the country's capital.

This annual event, under the title Beijing People's Art Theatre International Theatre Festival, is more than just a festival for artistic innovation. It's a cultural event that attracts theater lovers, critics, and creatives from around the world, offering a rare opportunity to experience cutting-edge global performance art, announced Feng Yuanzheng, president of the theater, in Beijing on Sept 15.

From Oct 11 to Nov 26, the festival will bring together artists, audiences and ideas under the theme "Gathering", setting the tone for a festival that promises dazzling performances and meaningful connections.

Over six weeks, the city's most iconic theater spaces, such as the Capital Theatre, the Cao Yu Theatre at the Beijing International Theatre Center, and the small theater and experimental theater of Beijing People's Art Theatre, will host more than 50 events.

The lineup includes 14 acclaimed productions from nine countries, staged in 42 performances offering both large-scale invited works and an all-new small theater program.

Theatergoers can participate in workshops, art lectures, theatrical screenings, and forum sessions, which will spark dialogue and immerse audiences from multiple perspectives.

"We aim to transform the theaters into a melting pot of genres, techniques and storytelling traditions during the festival. Audiences are greeted with a variety of performances, from boundary-pushing productions that deconstruct the very notion of theater to immersive shows that invite the audience to participate in the experience," says Feng.

"Some of the most daring and innovative companies from around the world will push the limits of what theater can be," he adds.

Feng's theater will perform a restaging of Shakespeare's iconic play Hamlet, which will debut at the festival. The production features Feng as the co-director and combines a new visual approach with a talented young cast.

According to Feng, though the theater has staged several versions of Hamlet in its seven-decade-long history, this latest rendition will introduce a new interpretation of the classic, inviting the audience, especially young people, to feel the pulse of the present and the weight of history.