Ban Zan, actor-turned-director. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Three Comedies by Ding Xilin is part of the 2018 Story in Beijing, a theater festival, which features 20 original Chinese plays and runs between Aug 1 and Sept 1.

The highlights include a romantic play, Love is Brave, which has been staged more than 3,500 times since its premiere in 2015; Kunqu Opera Epiphyllum by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theater; and a tragic play, Injustice to Tou O, directed by Ding Yiteng and based on Dou E Yuan, a Chinese play written by Guan Hanqing (1241-1320) during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

According to Guo Zhuqing from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture, the organizer of the theater festival, the 20 plays will be staged at small theater venues in the capital: The Star Theater, Beijing National Pioneer Theater and the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

"The scope for plays created for smaller theaters is growing fast in China. We've seen a big spurt of creativity and originality from Chinese theater artists," says Guo, adding that since the theater festival was born seven years ago, 110 plays have been staged.