A leading director of China’s avant-garde, Meng’s early credits were adaptations from foreign classics, including “Waiting for Godot,” “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” and “Bootleg Faust.”

    Though his oeuvre is less broad than some traditional Chinese drama directors, such as Tian Qinxin and Lin Zhaohua, Meng is an innovator, too. He has pioneered experimental drama in China with his efforts, including “Comrade Ah Q,” “Si Fan,” “The Balcony” and “I Love XXX.” Most of Meng’s works are contemporary farces written specifically for him by his wife Liao.

    A director at the National Drama Theater, Meng also has his own theater — Fengchao Theater, where Meng says he can do whatever with the backdrop, including filling the stage with water or removing the stairs when the plot calls for it.

    “I grew up with traditional dramas but I find them dull. Those dramas have nothing to do with our modern lives and I want something of my own,” says Meng.

    Meng’s “Two Dogs’ Views on Life” is being staged in Shenzhen for two weekends. The comedy has been preformed in China more than 700 times since its debut in 2009.

    His next play, a modern rendition of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is blended with pop art and vampire romance. The play is scheduled to tour Shenzhen in June.

    “Every talented theater director has an ambition to do Shakespeare, I’m no exception,” says Meng. “I will address modern Chinese social issues in the classical play and let’s see what Romeo and Juliet have to say about them.”