Jean Varela Photo: Courtesy of He Ming

A dialogue among Chinese theater director Roy Szeto, Chinese actor Zhang Liang, French director Jean Varela, Lithuaniain director Egidijus Stancikas and Eric Lacascade took place during the World Class Theater for Chinese Audiences forum in Beijing on Tuesday. 

Concerning the question of "what is a good play?" Varela said that the artistic nature of a play is what touches him the most. 

"I can't simply judge a play good or bad. But I do hope a play can make the audiences talk and share with each other and even bring some changes into the world," he said. 

Stancikas echoed the idea, saying that a good play can gets audiences to think and stays with them even after they leave the theater. 

Szeto said just like soccer, plays are not just about creating and acting, but they also need the participation of the audience. 

"Each time when we watched a play, it is like a dream. It might be a fantasy dream or a nightmare. However, we can't make the conclusion that fantasies are good and nightmares are not. In some cases, nightmares can be good too," he added.