This year's Theater of the Nations Festival opens for the first time in China, and 36 theaters from all five continents are expected to attend.
The 31st session of this world-famous drama festival is held in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, from Oct.16 to 26.
The festival covers all genres to showcase a full spectrum of theater. With the theme, "Theater Tradition and New Appearance of the World", the festival covers a wide range of drama.
On the schedule are the street drama "Prometheus" from Greece, broadway musical "Aida", "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" from Russia, "Romeo and Juliet" from the Republic of Korea, "Cyrano de Bergerac" from Japan, "Drumstruck" from South Africa, "Woyzeck" from Germany, Australian puppetry show "Forest in the Night" , and two interpretations of "Hamlet." One is put on by the Russian Drama Theater named After M. Gorky Astana of Kazakhstan and the other by renowned Chinese director Lin Zhaohua. These plays will be staged in theaters around Beijing.
Chinese dramas, including "Thunder Storm", “Ming”, "The Legend of the Overlord", "In the Mood for Love", "Occidental Mahjong" (Hong Kong) and "The Secret Files of Detective Piggy" (Taiwan) will also be staged.
The festival was initiated in 1957 by the International Theater Institute (ITI), a sub-organization of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
China joined ITI in 1981 and became an executive committee member last month.
A forum with the theme, "Development of Theater in Globalization" is also expected to be held during the festival.
Lear-ning from Shakespeare
While theater-goers are familiar with Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear, seeing the story placed in the context of a certain dynasty in China, is certainly a novelty.
Director Tian Qinxin and playwright Shi Yue try to do just that in the play titled Ming, that kicked off the 2008 Beijing International Drama Festival at the National Center for the Performing Arts on Oct 10.
The old Emperor of the Ming Dynasty thinks of abdicating the throne, but cannot decide which of his three sons should get it, the effete eldest son, cruel second son or the frank and honest youngest. All three have their eyes on the throne. In the race for power, people go crazy, are used, find themselves in key positions, lose out and even die. Everyone is drawn into the cycle of power, honor and desire.
A eunuch suggests that the Emperor read Shakespeare's King Lear, who also faces the dilemma of how to carve up his kingdom among his three daughters when he decides to abdicate. Though the starting point of the two stories is the same, they lead to very different endings.
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