From drunken reverie to stagecraft on water

Brook, regarded as one of the greatest living theater directors, is well-known among Chinese dramatists partly because of his books such as The Empty Space, about theater, which has been translated into 15 languages and appears on many must-read lists.

In his new production Brook answers a series of questions such as "Why theater?" "What's it for?" and "What's it about?"

Other international highlights will include The Tree, directed by Eugenio Barba and performed by the Odin Teatret, founded by Barba in Oslo, Norway, in 1964, and Shakespeare's Macbeth, directed by the Italian Alessandro Serra and performed by Sardegna Teatro of Sardinia.

The 125-year-old Berliner Ensemble, one of the most renowned and long-standing theaters in Germany, will make its debut in China during the festival, by staging Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle, directed by Michael Thalheimer, from Nov 1 to 3.

The festival co-founder Lai will present his latest work, One One Zero Eight, at Wuzhen Grand Theater on Oct 29.