Wuzhen Outdoor Carnival: A limitless stage for the arts

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Inside the cabins or beside the canals, from the wooden boats to the stone bridges, all of Wuzhen is a stage during its most thrilling theatrical event of the year.

The Wuzhen Theatre Festival has grown to be one of the most significant events in the Asian festival calendar, thanks to one of its most striking sections – the "Outdoor Carnival", which seamlessly merges environmental theaters into the ancient alleyways of a small water town in east China's Zhejiang Province.

From October 18 to 28, over 1,800 performances featuring a variety of different art forms and groups will be showcased throughout the streets of Wuzhen, allowing people to enjoy the arts up close and personal.

A performer shakes hands with the audience at the Outdoor Carnival, October 22, 2018. /Courtesy: Wuzhen Theatre Festival

During the carnival, walking through the winding streets and cruising over the tranquil canals, you never know what or whom you will encounter around the next corner. Many of the actors, who are primarily seen on stage, join in the crowds to savor the celebration.

Pavel Vorozhtsov, a member of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre, is such a special audience. The prestigious troupe, made its Wuzhen debut at the festival, showcasing the anti-war epic "19.14" to celebrate its 120th birthday.

The actor described his first trip to China as "cool", feeling excited to enjoy the carnival time and have some fun on the streets. "We arrived yesterday, and now, on the first day when we come out from the hotel to see what is it. It is very interesting, for us, unusual…we love it!" Vorozhtzov told CGTN.

The Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre makes their Wuzhen debut, staging the anti-war epic "19.14" at the festival in Wuzhen, Zhejiang, China, October 24, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Actors applause for the live band after their show, October 24, 2018. /CGTN Photo

The experience has been “wonderful” for Travis Preston, dean of the CalArts School of Theater, who was specially invited to participate in the Wuzhen Dialogues, another festival tradition.

“I meet a lot of friends here from all over the world,” Preston said, adding that the festival's founders imagined the area as "a place for theater, and it was constructed to receive artists. And that's very special."

This year's open-air extravaganza brings more than 100 troupes from across the globe to Wuzhen and hundreds of thousands of visitors, making the 10-day carnival as diverse and inclusive as they come.

A stage without boundaries

Chinese operas and traditional theaters can be seen everywhere in the days and nights of carnival time in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, east China, October 24, 2018. /CGTN Photo‍

When audiences are intimately involved in the performances, the performers also get the opportunity to savor the experience.

The carnival is a grand celebration where you are bound to find countless forms of performing arts, including traditional Chinese operas, live music, acrobatic shows, and sand painting.

Most of time, the streets set the stage for a blend of distinct arts, such as the fusion of theater and opera.

The Twenty, a group of students from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, mixes traditional Chinese opera with modern theater and present their show at the carnival in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, east China, October 23, 2018. /CGTN Photo

The Twenty, a group of students from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in Beijing, who named themselves after their average age, is attempting to reach beyond the boundaries of traditional Chinese opera by mixing it with modern theater.

"Like us, people who perform traditional opera on stage, we usually tend to have an exaggerated acting style, presenting fixed forms. We really stress stylized performances," Zhang Min, a member of the group, said, "but when we are on the street, and closer to the audience, we do less of that."

The Clown Mime Group pose to take photos after the minstrel show at the carnival, October 23, 2018. /CGTN Photo

The Taipei-based Clown Mime Group presents a unique show, combining stilt walking, a traditional Chinese form of acrobatics, with a Western-style clown and juggling performance. To celebrate their debut show in the "Venice of the East," they decided to wear a Venetian style of dress and makeup.

The group relishes the close interaction with audiences. “The streets are full of antique beauty, but our performance comprises lots of Western elements, which creates an interesting contrast. However, the audiences really love it!” Huang Xinyu, a stilt walker, told CGTN.

The Transformers, a French band, perform at the carnival during the Wuzhen Theatre Festival, October 23, 2018. /CGTN Photo

A member of the band says hi to the camera during their minstrel show, October 23, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Audiences take photos of the show, October 23, 2018. /CGTN Photo

In addition, the most creative ideas and challenging spirits are also highly welcome at the dramatic fiesta.

The Transformers are a French band whose instruments are mainly made of recycled materials. They are not only bringing the sound their DIY drums to this small town, they're also sending a message of environmental protection to the excited crowds.

People take photos with the members of the Haten Kohro after the show, October 24, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Japanese metal band Haten Kohro present Tate at the carnival, October 23, 2018. /Courtesy of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival

Crowds are drawn to the performance in blaring heavy metal music, October 24, 2018. /Courtesy of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival

In front of the White Lotus Temple, crowds are drawn to a performance by Japanese metal band Haten Kohro, which mixes geisha dance and "Tate," the art of Japanese sword fighting, with blaring heavy metal music.

Sadatoshi Ito, the band's leader, said he was extremely surprised to see their performances become such a hit, adding that, “we really want to come here again.”

(Cover image by Zhang Xuecheng)