After finishing his degree in law at Peking University, Wang Chong never imagined he would end up a professional theater director with his own company. But that is exactly what happened after Wang returned to the capital in 2008 after studying for a master's degree in theater at the University of Hawaii. Since then, productions staged by Wang's company, the Xinchuan Theater Troupe (also known as the Théatre du Rêve Expérimental), have been performed at various theater festivals around the world.   

Original works

And for the first time this September, the company will join the annual Youth Creative Theater Festival (YCTF) in Shanghai. YCTF is a local festival that specifically provides a platform for young Chinese theater lovers - either professionals or amateurs - to show original theatrical works. Established by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center (SDAC) in 2009, this will be the fourth installment of YCTF.

Today in China there are two major festivals that cater to young theater practitioners, the other being the Beijing Fringe Festival (BFF, formerly known as the Beijing Youth Theater Festival). These two events are known for their showcasing of works that are more experimental and pioneering than those seen on most Chinese stages.

The 2012 YCTF runs from September 10 to 23, and features 14 performances by six theater troupes, all from Shanghai and Beijing. Most of the troupes' members are in their 20s and 30s, and the companies are all independently owned and operated.

The production Wang will be bringing to YCTF this year is e-Station and it is performed from September 10 to 12 at the SDAC on Anfu Road. Wang describes the work as a "physical play which explores the complex relationship between the human body and electronic products." The play was premiered in Beijing in early 2008 at BFF and received good notices at the time.

One-man show

This is also Zhang Yinglun's first time to partake in YCTF with his debut theatrical work One Euro for the Moon in Paris.

It is a one-act piece that Zhang has devised, scripted and acts in. The one-man show is based on Zhang's experiences of studying for a master's degree in filmmaking in Paris at the L'Ecole Superieure Libre d'Etudes Cinematographiques from 2006 to 2009. Before that, Zhang graduated in theater directing from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing.

Zhang told the Global Times that the reason he switched to studying cinema was because he didn't believe there was a promising future for theater in China at that time.

Now, however, he is more optimistic. And in order to produce his first drama, Zhang was fortunate enough to receive a grant of 20,000 yuan ($3,155) from BFF.

"After I returned to China in 2009, I took part in the BFF as an actor in one of my friend's plays, and it was my first time to join a domestic theater festival in China," he said. "At that time, I could feel the rich atmosphere and the great passion that many young Chinese had for making theater here. Today, the BFF has become an influential theater festival which really provides effective help for young theater lovers in China."

Strong partnership

Meng Jinghui, a leading figure in the avant-garde theater, has been the artistic director of BFF since its beginning in 2008. Last year BFF welcomed overseas theater companies for the first time, and also established a strong partnership with the Avignon Festival in France (a summer arts event in France started by theater director Jean Vilar in 1947). Last year Meng was quoted as saying the central goal for BFF is to "develop new Chinese talent while opening up theatrical boundaries."

However, Wang Chong feels the environment for creating new theater in China is still "far from open and tolerant." "The conservative forces in Chinese theater circles are still very powerful, and many State-owned theater venues in China are only accessible to guanxi hu, meaning people who already have a close relationship with the venue to start with."

Liu Lei, the current organizer of YCTF in Shanghai, added that he hopes YCTF can encourage a lot more avant-garde, and pioneering experimental work.

"For example, we would like to try performing in unconventional spaces such as in the street or in public spaces outside theater venues, or perhaps on the roof of a building," Liu told the Global Times. "And now YCTF is getting involved in public works and charity. So at this year's festival,  for example, audiences can receive a ticket by contributing three books they don't need, which we will then donate to a Project Hope primary school in Anhui Province."

2012 YCTF

Date: Until September 23

Venue: Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center

上海话剧艺术中心

Address: 288 Anfu Road

安福路288号

Call 5108-5050 for details