WUZHEN, China, May 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1st Wuzhen Theater Festival 2013, after three years of preparation, today officially began in Xizha, Wuzhen, a small 1,300-year old historically rich town along the southern bank of the Yangtze River. Many international artists experienced in theatre festivals have been invited to join the event. The festival drew 500 million yuan (approx. $US80 million) in overall investment.
The 11-day theatrical event will present visitors to Wuzhen with six internationally renowned dramas, 12 stage plays and more than 500 street carnival performances.
Eventful Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony will be held in Wuzhen Grand Theatre's Hongsheng Plaza. CCTV news commentator Zhang Quanling will host the ceremony, and Tongxiang mayor Sheng Yongjun will deliver the keynote speech. Robert Brustein, an American theatrical critic and honorary chairman of the festival, was full of praise for the event when he said that it is a perfect blending of culture and art with tourism. He further added that he hopes that the festival will develop into a distinguished event known not only in China but also internationally.
The founders of the festival, Chen Xianghong, Stan Lai and Huang Lei, accompanied the honorary chairman in beating the opening drum.
A Dream like A Dream and the dreamy grand theater
A Dream like A Dream by Stan Lai, a renowned Taiwanese drama director, will be the first play to be performed in the theater.
The theater, the construction of which took three years and cost 400 million yuan (approx US$65 million), is located on Yuanbao lake at the entrance of Wuzhen's Xishan scenic spot. The design of the over 54,000-square meter theater is based on the concept of twin lotus flowers on one stalk, perfectly combining two ellipses - one is virtual and the other is actual.
A reflection of the ancient town
This year's Wuzhen Theater Festival, with the theme of "reflect," aims to express a harmonious combination of Chinese and foreign arts, modern and traditional elements, life and stage, as well as performers and audience.
Chen Xianghong, one of the organizers of the festival and chairman of Culture Wuzhen Co. Ltd., said, "In my view, the symbol of this festival's theme 'reflect' is the continuous up and down undulating of a ripple on the surface of a body of water."
For more information, please contact:
Jessica He
+86-13586429285
+86-573-88731773
wuzhen99@vip.163.com
