China Children's Theater Festival to feature 42 works, immersive activities

Though the summer holiday is still over a month away, the China National Theater for Children has already prepared an exciting lineup of shows as a summer treat for children and their families, according to a press conference for the 14th China Children's Theater Festival held on Friday in Beijing.

Themed "Lighting up Young Minds, Shaping the Future", the festival, running from July 4 to Aug 17, will feature 185 performances of 42 outstanding theatrical works by 21 theater companies from home and abroad, said the theater's president, Ge Dali.

This year, four theater works of puppetry, foot puppetry and physical theater from Italy, Spain and Turkiye will be staged in Beijing during the festival, marking the return of international children's theater to the festival since 2019.

Ge said the festival will be held in the Chinese capital and the two eastern cities of Jiaxing and Changzhou. For the first time, it will also grace Yulin in Shaanxi province, bringing top children's theater to families in the western hinterland.

Yangtze River Goddess, Would You Like to Be My Dad?, a fairytale drama created by the China National Theater for Children in 2024, will open the festival. The production narrates the heartwarming story of the baiji, a probably extinct species of freshwater dolphin native to the Yangtze River. The production aims to raise awareness about biodiversity conservation in the Yangtze, according to the theater.

This year's festival will highlight three selected plays from the third season of "Blooming and Sailing", an incubation program for theater and performing arts aimed at young audiences.

The national theater also kicked off its "Summer Tour 100+" during the media conference. Adhering to principles of high-quality productions at low ticket prices for public benefit, the tour will send 122 performances of 16 excellent plays to cities in nine provinces, including Hubei, Zhejiang and Guangdong, in July and August.

During the festival, a medley of activities will be organized to immerse kids in the allure of theater, including a culture camp at the Palace Museum, musical workshops and a children's art market.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, this year's festival will broadcast three red-themed theatrical productions for children via various video-streaming platforms between Aug 14 and 16.

As the first national-level children's theatre festival, the China Children's Theater Festival has so far showcased 563 theater works from 35 countries and regions, resulting in more than 2,500 performances, making it a significant platform for exhibiting the latest achievements in children's theater and fostering children's theater exchange and growth.