Theaters in Wuzhen: Stages for the world’s players

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For many first-time visitors to Wuzhen, walking in the ancient town is like walking in a dream.

With lanes of ancient cottages covered in grey and white, and rivers winding along, Wuzhen seems to be a natural setting for theaters. With the fifth Wuzhen Theater Festival in full swing, the water town is indeed turned into a real stage, for theater enthusiasts as well as actors.

A file photo of Wuzhen Township in Zhejiang Province. /VCG Photo

The small town located in east China's Zhejiang Province was brought into fame firstly by Huang Lei, who helped to found the theater festival after directing and starring in a 2002 TV series “Time Goes By”. In the following years, he visited the town frequently, until he hit upon the idea that he could start a theater festival.

He invited another three co-founders, well-known directors Stan Lai and Meng Jinghui as well as landscape designer Chen Xianghong. Five years on, the 1,300-year township is turned into a modern stage in every October.

Wuzhen Theater

Wuzhen Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

In order to accommodate the scale of the festival, several stages featuring diverse characteristics have either been built or renovated over the years. There are at least one outdoor and seven indoor arenas, of which Wuzhen Theater, the main festival venue, is probably the most distinguished.

It was designed by architect Kris Yao in 2013, occupies 21,384 square meters, and could host a 1,500-seat auditorium.

Wuzhen Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival‍

It is next to a waterway, with one side decorated with ancient window frames allowing the light to penetrate during the evening, and the other side shielded by angular brickwork fins. From a distance, it looks like a giant lotus in full bloom.

The theater is equipped with advanced acoustic and lighting facilities that together with a professional stage design place it in world-class company.

Wuzhen Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

Several performances and plays have already been staged during this year’s festival.

Ancient Courtyard Theater

The Ancient Courtyard Theater was an ancient stage for local folk performances before the festival settled in. Stan Lai participated in its transformation. While preserving all the precious decorations, including the wood carvings, the theater was changed from outdoors to indoors, and it can host 200 to 300 people at the same time.

Ancient Courtyard Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

During this year’s festival, three invited plays will be performed at the Ancient Courtyard – “Three Comedies by Ding Xilin”, “If Silence Knew” and “JOAN”.

Shen Estate Teahouse Theater

The Shen Estate Teahouse Theater was more of a traditional Chinese estate than just a theater. It was said to be built by the descendants of Shen Yue, a prominent scholar and teacher of the Liang Dynasty’s crown prince (502-587).

Shen Estate Teahouse Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

It has five houses and five courtyards, and after the transformation, was designed into an office of the Wuzhen Theater Festival and a stage mainly for traditional Chinese plays and operas. The stage was only part of the estate.

East Warehouse Theater

The East Warehouse Theater was also transformed from a theater with a 100-year history. It was based on gallery-themed architecture, with the first floor being a hall and the second a winding corridor.

East Warehouse Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

It has been converted into one of the first arena stages in China. The actors could have interactive activities with the audience. It is therefore a ideal place for the performances of experimental plays and modern dance.

The theater is able to host no more than 200 people at a time, and has this season hosted the premiere of a Chinese play “Cut & Stitch” and will stage “Riding on a Cloud”, a Lebanese play in the coming days.

N Theater

N Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

The N Theater is inside the Wuzhen Internet International Convention Center, and is a modern facility capable of holding 427 seats.

The convention center occupies an area of 81,000 square meters, and is the main venue for the annual World Internet Conference. It was another big event that contributed to bringing Wuzhen to the world.

Wuzhen Internet International Convention Center. /Xinhua Photo

The architecture of the center has combined elements of the internet, traditional Chinese culture and the style of southern Chinese water towns. Three plays were scheduled to be performed there this year.

Water Theater and Poetry Square

The Water Theater was transformed from a fishpond.The stage was outdoor on both sides of the pond, with the auditorium only a piece of wood-paved area behind.

Water Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

The audience is able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the water town at the same time as watching a play.

The Poetry Square was next to the Water Theater, and it was originally a place for the merchants to sun-cure their silk and silkworm cocoons. The square has multiple engravings of local poets’ works, hence the name. It is also one of the outdoor stages.

Poetry Square. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

There are also other areas and exhibition halls for performances, such as the Oyster Bay Theater. It is a small-sized theater that can host around 200. The auditorium of the theater could be temporarily dissembled, and it is therefore an adaptive place for various performances.

It is the venue for the festival's Young Theater Artists' Competition, in which young talents will compete for the best play and best artist awards.

Oyster Bay Theater. /Photo via Wuzhen Theater Festival

This year, the 11-day Wuzhen Theater Festival will last until October 29, with about 100 performances from 13 countries and regions being staged.

Top image designed by Yu Peng.

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