The third Lao She Theater Festival, set to be held from September 19 to November 23, will bring 12 widely-known plays from China, the UK, Poland, Germany, France and Macedonia to audiences in Beijing.

This year's event will commemorate the 120th birthday of Lao She, the pseudonym of the late celebrated Chinese novelist and playwright Shu Qingchun.

As one of the most prominent figures of 20th century Chinese literature, Lao She depicted the lives of everyday people and is best known for his novels Rickshaw Boy and Four Generations under One Roof, and the play Teahouse.

Chinese plays to be performed during the festival include Thunderstorm from the Beijing People's Art Theater based on dramatist Cao Yu's play of the same name, and White Deer Plain by the Shaanxi People's Art Theater.

William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors, and the absurd theater play Waiting for Godot will also be staged during the festival.

The festival is jointly organized by the Beijing Artists Management Corp and the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.