A showcase of storytelling
Fringe Festival to feature three of China's captivating, cutting-edge and culturally enlightening plays, Chen Nan reports.
In addition to The Life of Mine and Peanuts Adventure, a new stage production, The Novice, by director and playwright Liu Guangyuan, will premiere during the Edinburgh festival, with shows running from Aug 1 to 24.
The Novice integrates elements of physical theater, dance, acrobatics, and drama. The production transforms traditional circus disciplines — such as strength routines, the horizontal bar, rings, juggling, and diabolo — and reinterprets them through the language of dance.
The three theatrical productions staged during the Edinburgh festival are part of the ongoing Peiyuan Art Festival, an exciting platform that brings original Chinese theater to international audiences.
Since its inception in 2019, Peiyuan, an incubation platform supporting original Chinese theatrical productions and the organizer of the Peiyuan Art Festival, has launched 75 commercial works staged at theaters nationwide. The second edition promises to push boundaries even further.
Through live performances, script readings, and seminars taking place in Beijing, the Peiyuan Art Festival is dedicated to fostering young talent and showcasing new works in Chinese theater.
"This will be the first time we bring Chinese theatrical productions abroad," says Gao Jiancheng, producer of the festival and founder of Kuanyou Culture, the company behind Peiyuan. "It's not just about sharing Chinese culture, but presenting powerful explorations of universal themes that transcend the boundaries of history, society and identity."
