Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    CHINESE theater director Meng Jinghui is planning regular training sessions and lectures on drama and performance art in Shenzhen, and hopes Shenzhen artists and art lovers will have the opportunity to increase their understanding of contemporary drama.

    Well-known domestic and international drama experts will also hold lectures about art, culture and esthetics, the Futian Meng Jinghui Theater Studio said Tuesday, one day before the opening of the 2013 Futian District’s Meng Jinghui Drama Season.

    Most of the training sessions and lectures will be free of charge and members of the public can register at www.szfdc.gov.cn.

    As a leading theater director, Meng has increased interest in experimental drama in China with his innovations in the field. To some extent, his name has become synonymous with avant-garde and alternative theater, but his plays have also been very popular in small venues across the country, which enhances his reputation for being both popular and avant-garde.

    He has directed more than 10 plays, and has also written a few plays himself. Meng’s stagings of universally acclaimed plays are known for his changes and adjustments, often radical ones, and he also gets inspiration from real life and the people he meets.

    Some of his influential productions include performances of “Comrade Ah Q,” “Waiting for Godot,” “Accidental Death of an Anarchist,” “Rhinoceros in Love,” “The Balcony,” “I Love XXX,” and “Bootleg Faust.”

    He signed an agreement with Futian District’s culture bureau and set up his drama studio in November 2011. According to the plan, the studio will hold more than 50 performances in Futian District, introducing at least 12 of his theater productions.

    “This drama season is just a beginning. We will have three plays performed in April, all of which are classics,” Meng said Tuesday.

    The three plays are “Invisible Love,” “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” and “Two Dogs.”

    “Invisible Love” is a musical written by Shi Hang about a story of an angel descending to Earth to recreate her first love, while “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” is a reproduction of a classic Italian play by Dario Fo, and “Two Dogs” is a comedy written by Meng and has been staged more than 1,000 times across the country.

    “The three plays include a musical, a reproduction and a grass-root drama. I hope to say hello to Shenzhen audiences with them, introducing my drama style from three different levels,” he said.

    After each performance, members of the creative team will also have a face-to-face talk with the audience members.

    Prices of the plays in the drama season range from 50 to 200 yuan (US$8-32), which is roughly about half the usual cost of a ticket to one of Meng’s stagings. “We hope that more people will come to the performance to learn about drama and performance art,” he said.

    Shenzhen is the third city in China that is establishing such a studio for Meng’s work. In addition to its headquarters in Beijing, the other two studios are in Shanghai and Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. “I hope I can bring more good plays to audiences in South China, Hong Kong and Macao with the studio. My ultimate target is to hold more than 100 performances in Shenzhen every year,” he said.

    Last year, Meng’s studios held more than 400 performances in Beijing, about 100 in Shanghai and nearly 60 in Hangzhou.

    “With the support of the district, the affordable prices may attract many people. We can also plan drama events such as an international youth drama festival, allowing audiences to learn more about drama from different countries and cultures,” he said.

    Time: April 3 to 21

    Prices: 50-200 yuan

    Reservation: 8380-0819

    Venue: Star Theater, Drama Hall, Futian District’s Cultural Center, 3006 Fuqiang Road, Futian District (福田区福强路3006号福田文化馆·喜剧主题馆星空剧场)

    Metro: Yitian Station (益田站), Exit C