A prestigious director's vision to turn a small town in Jiangxi province into a cultural hub for theater practitioners, students and enthusiasts is now coming to life.
The Huichang Theater Season,
Among the professional actors and crew members involved in the production was an 18-year-old student, Zou Yaoyang. He worked as a set dresser, responsible for arranging and moving the objects and equipment required on stage. This experience allowed him to be part of the show and participate in the grand event taking place in his hometown, Huichang.
Zou is a freshman at the Hesheng Theater Technology College, a vocational school in Huichang that was jointly established by Lai and a local entrepreneur as part of the Huichang Theater Village initiative. Just four months ago, Zou had never set foot in a theater and knew little about drama. However, he is now learning and working with one of China's top play troupes and aspires to become a theatrical technician in the future.
"I felt incredibly nervous and excited stepping onto such a grand stage with a full audience seated below. I had never experienced anything like it in my life," Zou said. "I learned a lot by observing the work of lighting designers, sound engineers and props masters from Lai's troupe."
This is the desired outcome that Lai envisioned when he started collaborating with the local government to establish the Huichang Theater Village. In addition to constructing performance venues along historic streets, the initiative also included the establishment of schools and workshops to educate and inspire theater practitioners and enthusiasts.
Lai expressed his desire to witness the impact that art can bring to a small town like Huichang, particularly among its young population. "For a long time, young people in Huichang had limited options — they either went to coastal areas to earn a living and then returned to get married, or they left for university and never came back. I wonder if theater can provide new options for the young people here. We have been exploring new possibilities."
"Changes are already occurring. The students at Hesheng Theater Technology College have completed a semester of study," he added.
The newly established college offers a junior college diploma program in stage art design and production, accommodating 104 students from all over Jiangxi province, one-third of whom are from Huichang.
The college invites experienced theatrical practitioners and professors to provide training that meets international standards.
During the first semester, experts from Theater Above and the Shanghai Theater Academy delivered courses in classic drama and contemporary theater art, performance art, and theater English.
Zou particularly enjoyed the theater English course. "I learned useful theater terminology like 'mark', and even 'proscenium stage'," he said. "I never imagined that I would one day develop an interest in English, as I struggled with the subject in high school. Now, I can envision myself working with overseas theatrical staff someday."
Zou sees changes not only in his English skills but also in his overall outlook on the future. "Before entering college, I had never planned or even thought about my future. But now, I'm quite certain that I will pursue a career in lighting design."
Many local students shared similar experiences, with a clearer future path unfolding in front of them through their engagement with theater.
Harboring a deep connection to her hometown, Luo Jie, for example, is delighted to attend a college in the place where she grew up. With an interest in sound, she considers a sound technician as an ideal occupation. And Chen Yongkang, the class president and an outgoing and sociable young man, believes stage management perfectly suits his personality.
The Huichang Theater Season gives the students a valuable platform to hone their skills. Luo is responsible for communicating with and guiding theater troupes from other cities, while Chen assists with the setup of Lai's new play dedicated to Huichang, titled Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water.
"Huichang Theater Village provides local youth the opportunity to participate in top-class theatrical events during their first year of college. Not all theater students have such an opportunity," said Wu Zhicai, a tutor at Hesheng Theater Technology College.
Playing a big role
The college and the theater village project benefit not only local youth but also the Chinese theater industry as a whole, according to Wu. "Top theater academies in Beijing and Shanghai train a number of artists and planners, but they still cannot meet the demand of the numerous local theaters, film crews, media companies, and organizers of ceremonial events, such as weddings and funerals, across the country. The industry lacks technical professionals, and that's where we come in," he said.
"Some of our future graduates may choose to stay in Huichang, as the theater village provides regular jobs. Others may move to other places, becoming a driving force in China's theater industry. Some may even become artists themselves," Wu added, highlighting that the theater village serves as an "incubation center" for both creators and practitioners.
Apart from the theater college, Lai has also established a branch of his Theater Above in the village, providing theater education to enthusiasts of all ages. "We have many follow-up plans, including those related to personal creation," he said. "I hope we can invite artists from around the world to reside in the village."
The local government presents the village as a theater-themed town centered around four aspects of theater activities: watching, learning, acting, and creating.
In addition to providing training for theater students, the program also offers a platform for young talents to stage their productions. The Huichang Theater Season this month includes 20 street performances by acting troupes from China and overseas, most of which feature young actors or theater college students.
Xu Xu, a 20-year-old performing arts major at Southwest Minzu University in Sichuan province, is one of these young performers.
With six classmates, Xu brought to the village a Sichuan dialect adaptation of Longxugou, a play by Beijing writer Lao She (1899-1966). From Jan 7 to 15, they will perform twice daily at various locations, including the ancient city gate, a square, and the riverside. Integrating modern environmental theater elements into this 1950s classic, they aimed to present a new version of Longxugou relevant to today's audience.
"This is our first time bringing our production to such a significant theater event, and I feel honored to perform for audiences from both home and abroad in this enchanting theater village," Xu said. "As students, we rarely perform outside of school, usually limited to our university's studio theater. So we are very grateful for this opportunity, as it is hard-won."
Xu recalled how they adjusted their scripts and acting before submitting their work for selection in December.
"We were afraid that we wouldn't qualify. Being confined to the school environment, our creativity and ideas are relatively limited compared to the more playful, personalized, and edgy productions off-campus," she explained. "Now that we are here, we see it as a chance to broaden our horizons, learn from others, and improve ourselves."
She said she is looking forward to watching other street performances by young creators in Huichang Theater Village. These shows include performances featuring clowns, puppets, magic and improvisation.
According to Lai, the Huichang Theater Village is distinct from conventional theater festivals, like the annual theater festival in the ancient water town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang province. As a year-round initiative, the village will host shows, theater training programs, spaces for theater creation, performance rehearsals, and cultural exchanges all year round, ensuring an ongoing theater buzz and presence.
The Village was one of the three works that Lai presented during the theater season in Huichang. It narrates bittersweet stories of military families moving from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan in the last century. The second work, adapted from a 1986 work by Lai himself, Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, The Tea House Opera Version, embodies Jiangxi tea-picking opera, a national intangible cultural heritage. And the third one, Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water, is a specially designed production for the village, staged in the town's garden theater, which was transformed from an ancestral temple.
As Lai emphasized, the theater village aims to build a cultural and creative ecosystem rather than just hosting one-off events or serving solely as a tourist spot. Theater, with its rich art and culture, is reshaping this county for the better.
"Though no one can guarantee what lies ahead, at least we have a vision for it," Lai said.
