Small theater festival takes to a different kind of stage

"Small theater productions showcase the artistically pioneering and commercially vibrant part of Beijing's theater scene," Yang says.

He adds that Absolute Signal, a play written by Gao Xingjian and directed by Lin Zhaohua, was considered the first small-theater play in the country, and it was produced by the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Ma Qian Po Shui, a Peking Opera show directed by theater veterans Zhang Manjun, is regarded as the first Peking Opera show made for small theaters. It premiered in 2000 and was performed by actors of the Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing. Jingju is also known as Peking Opera, and it has a history of more than 200 years. In 2010, UNESCO declared it an intangible cultural heritage.

Yang says: "Small theaters offer young Chinese artists opportunities to test ideas. And audiences who come to small theaters are open-minded and embrace new trends on the theater scene."

Huang's new play is part of the ongoing 2019 Story in Beijing, a small-theater festival, which features 20 original Chinese plays, and runs between Aug 1 and Aug 31, covering a wide range of genres, including plays, musicals and traditional Chinese folk operas.