Curtain to rise on annual theater fest

Modern Drama Valley, the city's annual theatrical extravaganza, will return next month.

The event, to be held between April 26 and May 12, will present 19 productions from countries and regions including Japan, Russia and Israel. All of performances will be Shanghai debuts.

Opening the festival will be "The Heart of Heroes", inspired by the manufacture of China's first domestically developed narrow-body passenger jet, the C919.

It portrays the country's three generations of aeronautic engineers devoting themselves to the development of China's manufacturing industry. It has been chosen as one of the works to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

Alexandrinsky, Russia's oldest theater built in 1756, will bring a new production to the stage in Shanghai.

Last year, it made a stunning appearance in the city with the presentation of two masterpieces, a modern adaption of "Hamlet" and German theater icon Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children".

This year, it will continue to show its talent in interpreting classics by presenting "Zero Liturgy," based on short novel "The Gambler" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

The novel, portraying a young gambler, is widely recognized as the author's most autobiographical work as it reflects his own addiction to roulette.

The 100-year-old Latvian National Theater will present a bold staging of Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov's major play "The Seagull", using many modern theatrical techniques. It will also bring its award-winning adaptation of "Antigone", a tragedy written by Greek tragedian, Sophocles, written in or before 441 BC.

Other performances on tap also include "The Government Inspector", a satirical play by Lithuania's State Small Theatre of Vilnius, French director Philippe Quesne's acclaimed "La Melancolie des Dragons" and "Coco Chanel", a co-production of Ulrike Quade Company from the Netherlands and Jo Stromgren Kompani from Norway.

Modern Drama Valley is more than just presenting plays in theaters.

Between April 30 and May 5, there will be 270 free shows staged on roadsides, in malls and at tourist destinations across Jing'an district, including Jing'an Park and Starbucks' Reserve Roastery in the HKRI Taikoo Hui mall.