In 2022, when Beijing People's Art Theatre had its 70th birthday, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the theater's regular performances to be canceled or postponed.
The company decided to livestream its classic play, Teahouse, for a week to keep the birthday celebration alive. The online version, to their surprise, had over 150 million views.
Teahouse, written by Chinese novelist and dramatist Lao She (1899-1966), is a vivid depiction of people from all walks of life during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and has been staged by different generations of artists of the Beijing People's Art Theatre since its premiere in 1958.
Last year, the theater also screened a 10-episode documentary, Wo Zai Ren Yi Xue Biao Yan (I'm Learning Acting at the Beijing People's Art Theatre), which follows young actors at a training program started by the theater. The documentary was viewed over 250 million times.
"We felt a strong connection with the audience despite the difficult situation caused by the pandemic. We were looking forward to welcoming the audience to the theater again," says Feng Yuanzheng, a veteran actor and director who is now president of the Beijing People's Art Theatre.
