Village savors its leading role

Theater seasons help community stage various plays and attract domestic and international talent, Cheng Yuezhu reports.

It's been a decade since theater director Stan Lai first brought a play to his father's hometown, in Huichang county, Jiangxi province. What started with just one production a year has grown into a much larger vision, and the Huichang Theatre Village has been established, giving around 700 performances in its first year.

The village hosts two theater seasons per year and from May 23 to June 2, the Huichang Theatre Season 003 will bring together international stage artists for more than 370 performances.

This year's event will be more international, especially since a residency program was launched to encourage global theater artists to settle in the village and draw inspiration from the environment.