Theater steps into the spotlight in Guangzhou

Updated: Jul 12, 2017 eguangzhou.gov.cn Print

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The Guangzhou Theatre Arts Festival got underway at the city's iconic opera house on July 8, beginning a two-month season of cultural events to be held across the Guangdong province capital.

It is the seventh time the festival has been held and this year it will host top domestic and overseas acts as well as performances from renowned Chinese choreographer and dancer Yang Liping.

There will be a total of 67 performances running until Sept 10, held at the Guangzhou Opera House as well as other venues throughout the city.

Flying in from overseas will be a French troupe to perform the well-known comedy L'Avare, or Miser. They will be joined by a performance of the epic Italian opera, Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, and Sister Act, a famous Broadway musical.

Domestic talents include the Guangzhou Red Bean Cantonese Opera Troupe, featuring renowned performers Ou Kaiming and Cui Yumei, both winners of the China Opera Plum Blossom Award, who will stage a variety of classic Cantonese operas.

Yang Liping will perform the dance drama Peacock of Winter, which depicts the transformation from death back into life.

The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre will perform The Last Supper and The Sin Family, while the Hong Kong Dance Company will stage its dance drama, a movie namesake, L'Amour Immortel.

On the fringes of the festival are some less famous operas such as Xiju or Wuxi opera, as well as the child's play of Smart Ikkyu san and the rearranged Chinese classic drama Teahouse.

In recent years, the Guangzhou government has sought to encourage more cultural activities on a local level as well as to become an international hub of drama.

Lu Zhiqiang, director of Guangzhou municipal bureau of culture, radio, TV, film, press and publication, said the government subsidizes ticket prices for local residents, hoping to encourage more people to get involved and become art lovers themselves.

During the festival's two-month run, audiences can gain greater insight into the background and history of various operas and dramatic arts, with free workshops and lectures being held, according to the organizer.