The 10th edition of the NCPA International Theatre Festival by the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing will take place from July 6 to Dec 6.

During the event, 17 theatrical productions from China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom will be staged along with 62 shows in Beijing.

"Theater has the power to entertain, provoke thought, inspire change and unite people across cultures and generations," says Wang Wei, director of the performance department of the NCPA, in a news conference in Beijing announcing the festival on June 18.

Since 2015, the festival has staged 96 theatrical productions from home and abroad, presenting over 400 performances, Wang says.

This year, the festival will open with two Chinese stage adaptations of William Shakespeare's classic works — Hamlet by director Chen Xinyi and A Midsummer Night's Dream by director Guan Bo, both produced by the NCPA and performed by the NCPA Drama Ensemble.

Hamlet premiered at the performing arts center in 2016, marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare, which not only interpreted the classic tragedy but also gave it a fresh spin with a new character based on Chinese poet and translator Zhu Shenghao (1912-44). Zhu, a Shakespearean scholar, was the first to translate Shakespeare's complete works into modern Chinese. Since its premiere, the Chinese iteration of the play has been staged five times in multiple performances at the NCPA, receiving warm feedback from audiences.

From July 6 to 14, Hamlet will be shown at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre, a new venue of the NCPA that opened to the public in December 2023.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, according to the director Guan, will also be staged during the festival from July 6 to 14 with a new version, which is made exclusively for the outdoor stage at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre.

"It has been eight years since we premiered A Midsummer Night's Dream and for the first time, it will be staged outdoors in a park near the Beijing Performing Arts Centre. The real forest atmosphere will make the production more immersive and romantic compared to indoor theaters," says Guan.

With this year marking the 125th birthday of Lao She (1899-1966), an iconic modern Chinese writer, the festival will feature Rickshaw Boy, a play based on his classic novel of the same title. It will be staged at the NCPA from July 17 to 19.

Rickshaw Boy is considered a masterpiece of 1930s Chinese literature, centering on Xiangzi, a poor young man from the countryside who comes to Beijing to become a rickshaw puller. Its dramatic treatment of everyday details, vivid portrayal of characters and vibrant capturing of Beijing life lends itself to adaptation in a variety of forms, including films, plays and operas.

"This is the seventh stage production that I made and adapted from Lao She's works. I was very nervous because Rickshaw Boy is one of his most adapted and performed works," says director Fang Xu.

According to Fang, most of the adaptations of Rickshaw Boy highlight the relationship between Xiangzi and Huniu, a tough and hot-tempered woman who marries Xiangzi and dies in child labor.

In Fang's adaptation, the director tries to portray the path of Xiangzi and his changes from an ambitious young man dreaming about owning a rickshaw one day to a poor man who had to sell his newly bought rickshaw to pay for his wife's funeral.

Fang has three male performers onstage simultaneously, all playing the role of Xiangzi at different stages of the character's life.

"They have a talk, which not only unveils their inner world but also communicates with the audience," Fang adds.

"Theater has a remarkable capacity to evoke a wide range of emotions, from joy and laughter to sadness and empathy," says Fang. "Through compelling storytelling, vivid characters and evocative performances, theater allows audiences to experience emotions viscerally and immediately. This emotional engagement can be cathartic, providing a release and a deeper understanding of human experiences and struggles."

Chinese award-winning writer Liu Zhenyun agrees.

Liu's novels — One Sentence Worth Ten Thousand, I Didn't Kill My Husband, and Laughter and Tears: A Novel — have been adapted into Chinese plays. "The emotional impact that theater brings to people cannot be achieved with novels. The process of a writer creating a novel is also quite different from a director creating a theatrical production. A theater director can also imagine and, with different methods, create a space in the theater where performers and audiences breathe and dream together," says Liu. "Theater brings people together, fostering a sense of community and collective experiences."

First premiering in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Feb 23, Laughter and Tears: A Novel, directed by Ding Yiteng, will be staged at the NCPA from Nov 27 to 30. It follows a woman named Hua Erniang who loves jokes and seeks to learn new ones as a fairy who, for over 3,000 years, has searched for jokes in people's dreams. In her laughter, she also tastes the sadness from people's everyday, messy lives.

"My novels have also been adapted into movies. Unlike movies, theatrical productions can be different with each performance. The performers can improvise and interact with the audience, who give instant feedback," says Liu. "I love the unique connection among people in the theater."

Prima Facie, a one-woman play featuring Chinese actress Xin Zhilei, will be staged at the NCPA from Oct 18 to 20. The play, originally written by Australian playwright Suzie Miller, revolves around a criminal defense barrister who experiences a shift in her perception of the legal system after becoming a victim of sexual assault. The Chinese play was staged at the NCPA in 2023 to great success.

"Besides the touching moments we had in the theater, the connection between the Chinese play and audiences has been expanded outside the theater. Many people shared their own stories with us and even actress Xin shared her own story, which she tried to forget about for years," says Zhou Ke, the director. "The significance of the play goes beyond the play itself. I wish more people would bravely stand up to support those who have experienced sexual harassment after watching it."

Musicals will also be featured in this year's NCPA International Theatre Festival with two productions — the Russian musical Anna Karenina and Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic production Cats, which will be staged at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre.

Other international productions will include The Glass Menagerie starring Isabelle Huppert and directed by renowned Belgian theatre director Ivo van Hove, which will be staged at the NCPA from Dec 4 to 6, closing the festival.

According to Wang Wei, one special section of the festival will be dedicated to traditional Chinese operas as this year marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) and the 90th anniversary of the birth of Mei Baojiu (1934-2016). Renowned artists such as Peking Opera actress Shi Yihong and Wang Peiyu will also perform at the NCPA.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn