Theater serves as a vessel and catalyst for human civilization, bearing the mission of leading innovation in artistic heritage. From November 1 to 3, the 2024 Beijing Forum for Performing Arts and Taihu International Stage Art Forum will be held across three venues—the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Beijing Performing Arts Center, and the Taihu Stage Art Center. Representatives from performing arts institutions across six continents, nearly 30 countries and regions, and over 60 distinguished international and domestic experts will participate in 10 forum sessions. Alongside these, the World Association for Performing Arts will hold its annual membership meeting, building a consensus on global theater collaboration.
Since its inception in 2019, the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts has held three successful editions and established the World Association for Performing Arts, bringing together 34 art institutions from 22 countries as member organizations. Zhu Jing, Vice President of the National Centre for the Performing Arts and Vice Chair of the World Association for Performing Arts, shared that the 2024 Beijing Forum for Performing Arts, co-hosted by the Association and the National Centre, will focus on the theme "Global Performing Arts—Towards a Sustainable Future." Key industry topics will include "Youth Artist Development," "Sustainable Development in Repertoire Creation," "Educational Outreach and Audience Cultivation," and "Theater Operations and Development Prospects." On the morning of November 2, the forum's opening ceremony and keynote speeches will be livestreamed on the Classical Music Channel of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the World Association for Performing Arts website, and other media platforms.
This year, the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts continues to expand its international network and scale. New participants, including the Opéra National de Bordeaux from France, the National Opera of Chile, and Cape Town Opera from South Africa, will attend for the first time. In addition to the four core topics, the forum will place special emphasis on the creation, production, and development of musical theater. Leading voices such as Alex Beard, CEO of the Royal Opera House, London; Yalilé Cardona, European representative of the Latin American Opera League and director of the Bogotá International Classical Music Festival; and Karen Stone, Executive Director of Opera Europa, along with numerous global theater industry representatives, will share their insights and case studies on the latest developments in the field.
As technological advancements and evolving artistic concepts continue to reshape theater, the role of stage art in production and audience experience becomes increasingly significant. The Taihu International Stage Art Forum, one of the key forums under the World Association for Performing Arts, has been held annually since 2019. Guo Jianbo, Vice President of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, noted that the 2024 Taihu International Stage Art Forum, co-hosted by the National Centre and the China Institute of Stage Design, will open alongside the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts on November 2. With the theme "Integration of Visual and Acoustic Arts," the forum will explore the technological future of stage arts.
Translator: FENG Haoxuan
Reviewer: NIU Lihua
