Every year, the golden autumn of October is the most prosperous season for artistic performances in China. This year, it coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and so Shanghai's theatrical performance market has taken on a diverse and vibrant look. The China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF) will start on October 18 and run until November 17 bringing cultural enjoyment to Shanghai and its surrounding residents.

Among the 43 plays and 97 performances featured in the 21st China Shanghai International Arts Festival, eight premiered worldwide, five premiered in Asia, and eight are original Shanghai plays. During the festival, a series of important performances will be staged in Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Cultural Square, and other venues around People's Square, creating a strong cosmopolitan atmosphere perfect for the development of the night economy sector.

Classic plays light up Shanghai

Many classic works will be presented to the audience at this art festival. The newly created ballet "La Traviata" by Shanghai Ballet Troupe is based on the literary origins of the French writer Alexandre Dumas and directed by the artistic director of Shanghai and British ballet, Derek Dean. The composer is Carlo Carlos, who also composed the British BBC mini-drama "Pride and Prejudice." This version of "La Traviata" will reproduce the tragic story with a unique Shanghai style.

Another classic ballet piece, the "Swan Lake," by Georgian National Ballet will come to Shanghai for the first time. The choreography is done by the famous Russian choreographer, Alexei Fadeyechev, and adapted from the classical version in 1895 with music by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Petipa and Ivanov.

Besides, the world's best-selling classic novel adaptation drama "Revolutionary Road," starring Sha Yi and Hu Ke, is the first Chinese version of the novel and attracted a lot of attention before the festival.

The novel published in 1961 is the debut of the literary master Richard Yates and also his most widely known work. Nominated for the National Book Award in 2005, the novel was named one of the top 100 English classics by Time magazine.

The film of the same name starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and won 17 awards. The play tells the story of a middle-class couple in Western Connecticut in the 1950s who tried to break the spiritual emptiness and dull life but ended in tragedy.

Rising artists

As a vibrant original art section of the 21st China Shanghai International Arts Festival, this year's "Rising Artists' Works" will be held from October 18 to 26 with about six commissioned works, nearly 100 performances, exhibitions, and lectures.

A total of 111 works by young Chinese artists from all over the world have been submitted to the "Rising Artists' Works." This year, six commissioned work cover drama, music, dance, multimedia, shadow play, and other art categories.

In addition to these plays and performances, the festival exhibition offer is also very attractive and includes the world's largest tour exhibition of Bob Dylan. "Retrospectrum" will be run in the Modern Art Museum Shanghai, until January 5, 2020.

The exhibition features more than 250 of Bob Dylan's diverse creations in an array of media including oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings, as well as ink, pastel, and charcoal drawings, and distinctive ironwork sculptures from the 1960s to the present, showcasing his versatile identity besides musician and poet.

(Cover image made by Du Chenxin)