On the evening of September 3, the "Great Shows in Beijing" 2024 Performance Season officially kicked off at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, with five artist representatives, including Tian Qinxin, Feng Yuanzheng, Li Xincao, Chi Xiaoqiu, and Elhaida Dani, jointly opening the season. The classic drama "Beijing Fayuan Temple" was staged as the opening masterpiece.
Hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the "Great Shows in Beijing" Performance Season is an important supporting event of the 2024 Beijing Culture Forum. It serves as a significant brand launched by Beijing to advance the construction of the "Capital of Performing Arts" and polish the cultural brand of "Great Shows in Beijing". It invites outstanding theater companies and masterpiece productions from home and abroad to perform in Beijing, creating an artistic platform for gathering, exhibiting, and exchanging.
Five major sections offer an artistic feast
This year's performance season innovatively upgrades and embarks on a new journey, highlighting five major theme sections: grand theater performances, new performance arts space displays, masterpiece performances in universities, theatrical film screenings, and theatrical salons. Over a two-month period, Beijing will host a myriad of great performances, with over 50 cultural and artistic troupes and performance institutions presenting 114 masterpieces in more than 40 theaters and new performance arts spaces. The colorful performances will continue to illuminate the capital's stages, offering citizens a theatrical feast and fully displaying the artistic charm of the "Capital of Performing Arts". Additionally, artists and experts from the industry will be invited to lead an observation group, focus on the performing arts industry and phenomenal works, share insights on theatrical masterpieces, exchange creative research experiences, and envision future developments with theater enthusiasts.
Outstanding productions both home and abroad gather
To bring together outstanding domestic and international productions in Beijing and establish a high-end platform for artistic exchange and cooperation, this year's performance season combines events such as the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France and the China-Russia Year of Culture to intensify the introduction of foreign and inter-provincial productions. Thirty productions from France, Russia, the UK, Poland, and other countries and regions, including the musical "Notre-Dame de Paris," the drama "War and Peace," the ballet "Romeo and Juliet," and the HD drama film "Hamlet," as well as 16 productions from central and provincial theater companies, such as the ballet "Red Detachment of Women," the drama "Dream of Red Mansions," and the ballet "The Story About Dachen Island," will grace the capital's stages, highlighting the international and open nature of the performance season.
27 productions are about to premier
This year's performance season focuses on building a platform for the premiere of stage artworks with a demonstrative effect, with 27 productions set to premiere on the season's platform. Among them, nine productions will premiere nationwide, while 18 productions, such as the dramas "Zero Liturgy," "Littoral," the ballets " Tian Gong Kai Wu", "The Love Song of Kangding", and the modern Peking Opera "Min Fanglei" will premiere in Beijing, contributing to the construction of the "Capital of Performing Arts."
13 new performance arts spaces show industry vitality
This year's performance season will present 28 productions in 13 new performance arts spaces, including the New Space Theater from Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, Star Theater, Gulou (Drum Tower) West Theater, Nanluo Theater, A66 Theater, Music Fans, The Painters' Guild Hall, and Zhengyici Peking Opera Theater. Solo performances, magic stand-up comedy, suspense dramas, candlelight concerts, and other performances will take turns in a youthful and innovative manner, fully embodying Beijing's innovative creativity.
New initiatives and benefits are prepared for the public
Continuing its partnership with Damai.cn, the performance season will distribute RMB 1.3 million in coupons for ticket purchases, which brings practical benefits to audiences. In collaboration with consumption promotion initiatives, it will support theaters, troupes, and other market entities to offer discounts in the form of full-amount reductions, buy-one-get-one-free promotions, and free performances. Sixteen elite productions will be selected to enter universities in the capital, and works created and performed by university students will be included in the performance season for the first time, providing a broader theatrical stage for young students.
Furthermore, various "new initiatives" will be launched alongside the performance season, like theatrical flash mobs, open-air performances, ticket stub exchanges and check-in for ticket swaps, to energize the city's theatrical atmosphere and bring audiences a fresh experience. To facilitate public access to performance information, updates on the performance season and supporting activities will be released on relevant WeChat official accounts and mini-programs.
Translator: DING Zhizhong
Reviewer: NIU Lihua
