From drunken reverie to stagecraft on water

"We have built a beautiful shell, and with these great theatrical productions, we fill in the shell with culture," Huang says. "What began as a crazy idea has been turned into a reality."

The 28 theatrical productions to be staged during the festival were selected by a group of theater directors, scriptwriters, actors and critics, including the actors Zhou Xun and Pu Cunxin, led by the theater director Meng Jinghui.

"Wuzhen Theater Festival is where international theater artists meet, so we invite artists who can bring vitality to the contemporary theater scene," Meng says. "For the audience it can be an aesthetic adventure because some of the works are avant-garde and thought-provoking."

Meng's take on Teahouse, based on the original by the novelist and playwright Lao She (1899-1966), received mixed reviews when it opened last year's festival.

This July, Teahouse was staged during the Fete d'Avignon, the 73-year-old annual contemporary performing arts event in southern France.