It was in 1907 that Chinese people put on the first western play, China then has its modern theatre called as hua ju (spoken drama). In the history of nearly 100 years, the prominent Chinese theatre professionals have devoted themselves to the career. Their dedication led to the emergence of a number of masterpieces, welcomed both at home and abroad. Beijing People's Art Theatre (BPAT), a first-rate national theatre company of China, its development in the last 50 years has been a miniature of the development of Chinese modern theatre.
As a national theatre company of China, Beijing People's Art Theatre possesses its unique performing style. The theatre was established on June 12th, 1952, and the dramatist master Cao Yu was the theatre's first president. Ever since its establishment, the theatre has put on nearly 300 plays in different styles and they are domestic works in different times as well as works from different countries. Its repertoire's great diversity in theme, superb and rigorous stagecraft, artistic style of great subtlety and emotional depth are very impressive to audience, and the theatre will be active, creative and advancing with the audiences' warm encouragement.
From 1950s to 1960s, the theatre was famous for putting on works by Guo Moruo, Lao She and Cao Yu. The representative productions include Tiger Tally, Cai Wenji, Wu Zetian, The Dragon Whisker's Ditch, Ricksha Man Xiangzi, The Teahouse, Thunderstorm, The Sunrise, Peking Man, The Death of a Popular Beijing Opera Singer, Guan Hanqing etc., and western plays like The Miser, Aesop, Even Wise Man Stumbles, People with Gun etc. The renowned dramatist master Jiao Juyin once was the director general of the theatre and had cultivated a large group of acting artists with the representative of Yu Shizhi.
The theatre has put on more than 80 plays since 1980s, with a group of excellent young actors appearing. The plays include Wang Zhaojun, Warning Signals, Xiao Jing Hutong, Weddings and Funerals, Uncle Doggie's Nirvana, The Top Restaurant, LI Bai, Birds Men, Ga Lan Hutong, Beijing Masters, Antiques, Beyond Romance, Myriad Twinkling Lights, and The Orphan of the Zhao's etc. The theatre put on the western plays including Der Besuch Der Alton Dame, Amadeus, Death of a Salesman, The Gin Game, and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial etc. Among these, many has been performed for over 100 times, and given awards like the national "Wen Hua Award", "Five-one Best Works Award", and the Beijing municipal governmental "Gold Chrysthensem Award" and "Literature and Art Works Award" etc.
Beijing People's Art Theatre has performed all over the country in its half-century history, with its distinctive acting style rooted in the audiences. Besides, the performances of The Teahouse performed in Germany, France and Switzerland in 1980 was the beginning of Chinese spoken drama going abroad. Afterwards, The Teahouse, Wang Zhaojun, The Top Restaurant, The Death of a Salesman, Uncle Doggie's Nirvana, Birds Men, Ruan Lingyu, Antiques and Wuchang & Niudiao performed in Japan, Canada, Singapore, Korea, Egypt, Ireland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao.
The theatre company now has three theatres mainly for drama performances: the Capital Theatre, the Mini Theatre, and the Experimental Theatre. The theatre's stage art center has a professional producing base, which could make settings, costumes and props for the theatre itself and other performing troupes.
