All the water is a stage

"The organizers always ask us to have more spectators, but we still limit the number."

On the same note, the audience is able to experience the performance as much as the director wants them to.

Varley said: "For us it is important that every spectator has the same possibility of seeing the performance. And we know also that the distance between the audience and the actors gives a special perception of the performance… It is the quality of the relationships that is important."

One of the company's most notable characteristics is that its shows are performed in different languages. After having been founded in Norway, the company eventually moved to Denmark, giving the ensemble a more diverse look and feel over time, with actors coming from a dozen countries with no common language.

The language barrier came as an obstacle for the company, leading it away from classical theatrical texts but pushing it toward innovation and originality, Barba said.

"The history of theater shows that actors of a company go from village to village, town to town. In all cultures, professional theaters are always like this. And being foreign, that is part and parcel of professional theater.

"So to be foreign is also a moment of attraction for the spectators because what is foreign presents diversity. And diversity is always an attraction."

Diversity is by no means something the Odin Teatret has a monopoly on in Wuzhen. In fact diversity is the festival's very essence, with troupes from 13 countries and regions performing this year. During the 10 days, each visitor, performer and theater venue were interconnected, creating kaleidoscopic effects that made the small town all the more dazzling.