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Visitors arriving in Wuzhen this May found the Zhejiang water town particularly dramatic. They enjoyed plays in a time-honored theater， attended seminars and workshops led by renowned dramatists， soaked up outdoor carnivals featuring artists from near and far， and witnessed the contrast of modern drama against the backdrop of an ancient town. On May 9， the Inaugural Wuzhen Theater Festival， packed with international theater greats， kicked off at Xizha of Wuzhen. The festival consisted of three major parts： “invitational plays，”“young talent competition，” and “outdoor carnival.” Over 11 days， six internationally acclaimed plays， 12 competing dramas from young artists， and more than 500 outdoor performances were staged in Wuzhen.
This year’s theme of “Reflect” alluded to the idea that “drama reflects the colors of life while life reflects the changes of drama.” The sponsor explained that the festival was meant to reflect juxtapositions in arts from China and beyond， modernity and tradition， fact and fiction， as well as ordinary spectators and theatrical masters. Renowned Taiwanese playwright and stage director Stan Lai expected to see not only communication between past and present， but also sparks between East and West.
Masters and Masterpieces
Actor & co-founder of Wuzhen Theater Festival， Huang Lei first visited Wuzhen in 2002 to shoot a TV series. “It was already dusk when I arrived，” he recalls.“The alleys were tranquil and many households were cooking – smoke curling up from kitchens. Everything seemed so familiar. I felt I belonged.” In 2007， he began to plan a theater festival for Wuzhen. He quickly bounced the idea off Chen Xianghong， president of Culture Wuzhen Co. Ltd.， who would later become cofounder of Wuzhen Theater Festival. Soon， experimental theatre director Meng Jinghui and award-winning Taiwanese playwright Stan Lai were on board， and the team spent several years making the dream a reality.
The town used to lack a big theater. Over three years， Wuzhen spent 500 million yuan building a 54，000-square-meter playhouse. Additionally， six time-honored small theaters in Xizha’s ancient architectural complex were renovated. These efforts laid a solid foundation for today’s deeply dramatic atmosphere.
When organizing the festival， Wuzhen aimed at internationalization. Several globally renowned international theater festivals are already held in small cities or towns. Wuzhen hoped to create a cultural feast to attract dramatists from every corner of earth. “Just like the Avignon and Edinburgh Festivals’ effect on their respective cities， Wuzhen could also become an international attraction due to its theater festival，” asserts Ding Naizhu， one mastermind behind the festival. Encouraging Talent
To encourage young Chinese theater talent and provide a platform for displaying original work from promising young artists， Wuzhen Theater Festival established the “young talent competition” category. Young artists were invited to submit work to an open competition featuring cash prizes for awards such as Best Play and Most Outstanding Artist， encouraging innovation and commitment from young artists exhibiting great potential.
After the competition officially opened registration on January 6， 2013， the organizing committee received more than 100 scripts in just a few months. After judging， 12 plays including Utopia Town， Either/Or， and Time Machine were named finalists.“You can catch a glimpse of the future of Chinese theater from these plays，” commented one jury member. All 12 plays were publicly staged during the festival. By reserving a seat early， drama enthusiasts and tourists alike could attend these dramas for free in Wuzhen.
Chen Xianghong asserts that Wuzhen itself is the main stage of the festival and a platform for promising theater talent. They hope the festival develops “gently and healthily.”
Carnival for All
On the morning of May 9， odd-looking groups emerged on Wuzhen streets. Performers dressed in colorful costumes or carrying props and musical instruments took over the street. The artists performed as part of the “outdoor carnival，” one major activity of the festival.
The festival’s intentions of inviting art troupes to town were straightforward. It hoped to bridge the gap between the ordinary public and dramatists， and spread ideas such as “life is art” and “drama is everywhere.” Tourists even joined groups to sing， dance， or perform several other activities.
The outdoor carnival featured a number of renowned artists from home and abroad， as well as a great variety of artistic forms， including solo performances such as pantomime and dance as well as group performances of modern drama， music， folk art and stage combat. During the festival， more than 500 performances by such artists were staged amidst wooden houses， stone bridges， alleys， and traditional boats.
This year’s theme of “Reflect” alluded to the idea that “drama reflects the colors of life while life reflects the changes of drama.” The sponsor explained that the festival was meant to reflect juxtapositions in arts from China and beyond， modernity and tradition， fact and fiction， as well as ordinary spectators and theatrical masters. Renowned Taiwanese playwright and stage director Stan Lai expected to see not only communication between past and present， but also sparks between East and West.
Masters and Masterpieces
Actor & co-founder of Wuzhen Theater Festival， Huang Lei first visited Wuzhen in 2002 to shoot a TV series. “It was already dusk when I arrived，” he recalls.“The alleys were tranquil and many households were cooking – smoke curling up from kitchens. Everything seemed so familiar. I felt I belonged.” In 2007， he began to plan a theater festival for Wuzhen. He quickly bounced the idea off Chen Xianghong， president of Culture Wuzhen Co. Ltd.， who would later become cofounder of Wuzhen Theater Festival. Soon， experimental theatre director Meng Jinghui and award-winning Taiwanese playwright Stan Lai were on board， and the team spent several years making the dream a reality.
The town used to lack a big theater. Over three years， Wuzhen spent 500 million yuan building a 54，000-square-meter playhouse. Additionally， six time-honored small theaters in Xizha’s ancient architectural complex were renovated. These efforts laid a solid foundation for today’s deeply dramatic atmosphere.
When organizing the festival， Wuzhen aimed at internationalization. Several globally renowned international theater festivals are already held in small cities or towns. Wuzhen hoped to create a cultural feast to attract dramatists from every corner of earth. “Just like the Avignon and Edinburgh Festivals’ effect on their respective cities， Wuzhen could also become an international attraction due to its theater festival，” asserts Ding Naizhu， one mastermind behind the festival. Encouraging Talent
To encourage young Chinese theater talent and provide a platform for displaying original work from promising young artists， Wuzhen Theater Festival established the “young talent competition” category. Young artists were invited to submit work to an open competition featuring cash prizes for awards such as Best Play and Most Outstanding Artist， encouraging innovation and commitment from young artists exhibiting great potential.
After the competition officially opened registration on January 6， 2013， the organizing committee received more than 100 scripts in just a few months. After judging， 12 plays including Utopia Town， Either/Or， and Time Machine were named finalists.“You can catch a glimpse of the future of Chinese theater from these plays，” commented one jury member. All 12 plays were publicly staged during the festival. By reserving a seat early， drama enthusiasts and tourists alike could attend these dramas for free in Wuzhen.
Chen Xianghong asserts that Wuzhen itself is the main stage of the festival and a platform for promising theater talent. They hope the festival develops “gently and healthily.”
Carnival for All
On the morning of May 9， odd-looking groups emerged on Wuzhen streets. Performers dressed in colorful costumes or carrying props and musical instruments took over the street. The artists performed as part of the “outdoor carnival，” one major activity of the festival.
The festival’s intentions of inviting art troupes to town were straightforward. It hoped to bridge the gap between the ordinary public and dramatists， and spread ideas such as “life is art” and “drama is everywhere.” Tourists even joined groups to sing， dance， or perform several other activities.
The outdoor carnival featured a number of renowned artists from home and abroad， as well as a great variety of artistic forms， including solo performances such as pantomime and dance as well as group performances of modern drama， music， folk art and stage combat. During the festival， more than 500 performances by such artists were staged amidst wooden houses， stone bridges， alleys， and traditional boats.