Small stage, big show

She works with the Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing. Peking Opera, also known as jingju, brings together singing, dancing, martial arts and acrobatics.

The company has produced Ma Qian Po Shui, a Peking Opera show directed by theater veteran Zhang Manjun, which premiered in 2000 and is regarded as the first Peking Opera show made for small theaters.

Bai graduated from the Central Academy of Drama with a PhD in directing in 2003, and directed her first Peking Opera show, Six Records of a Floating Life, for small theaters in 2008.

When asked about her early experience of watching plays at small theaters, Bai says she is still inspired by the plays she watched in the 1990s, which opened her eyes to theater and inspired her to create her own works.

"There are many possibilities for directors, scriptwriters, actors and actresses working in small theaters. The styles can diversify, and the target audience is different," says Bai.