Opera festival starts with tragic love story

"I was not sure about the production until I started to do rehearsals with those young people, who are passionate about theater and full of interesting ideas. They keep the old art form alive and still vibrant among young people," says veteran Yueju Opera actor Zhu Hanqi, 47, who, born in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, learned to perform the old art form as a teenager. He works with the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yueju Opera Troupe.

Tickets for the show sold out days before it opened, which proved the warm feedback of the audience, says Hao Weili with the marketing department of Star Theater.

From Oct 20 to Dec 19, 18 shows of 11 types of Chinese operas, including Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Qinqiang Opera and Pingju Opera will be staged at the Star Theater during the festival.

"Since it was launched in 2014, the festival has been a platform for young artists to communicate and present their works, which makes traditional Chinese operas easy to understand, modern and full of fresh ideas," says Zhou Long, artistic director of the festival. "As innovators, they keep the old art forms moving forward."

"What makes Chinese operas special at small theaters is that the shows are rooted deeply in the tradition, but the way the stories are told are quite different, which attract lots of young audiences," Zhou adds.

Other highlights of this year's festival include Jin Que Ji, or The Legend of Golden Bird, produced and performed by Northern Kunqu Opera Theater－the only professional theater in northern China dedicated to the Chinese opera style that dates back some 600 years, and Si Fan, a classic Peking Opera piece adapted by director Bai Ailian, which showcases different performing styles of the 200-year-old art form.