[Photo provided to China Daily]

Sun will play the role of the young mother whose child dies in her arms. As a mother of three children, she says that she was reluctant to play the part but well understands the role's poignancy.

Chinese veteran actor Pu Cunxin compared Levin's works to the plays of Chinese playwright Lao She, saying: "They both write about the common people and their lives under the influence of the country and the history".

Noam Semel, who was the general manager of the Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv from 1992 to 2017, says he will never forget the warm reception from the audience in Beijing when Requiem was staged.

"The audience understood the text of the play and identified with it. They hugged our actors and read the text of Requiem and Levin's poems with our actors. It was really a dialogue between China and Israel."

Born in Tel Aviv to Polish parents, Levin studied philosophy and Hebrew literature at Tel Aviv University. He was regarded as Israel's most prolific and controversial playwright. During his career, he wrote 56 plays, directing most of them.

Semel, who set up the Hanoch Levin Institute of Israeli Drama in 2000, adds that Levin knew he was dying when he wrote Requiem, meaning the play can be seen as the director's personal introspection into life.

"Levin was a great storyteller with his sharp, painful and honest works. When Requiem was staged in Beijing, not a word and sound were made by the audience. They clapped for seven minutes after the show and I was very touched by the scene," says Lilian Barreto, Levin's widow.

Barreto, who is an actress, was the one who discussed the possibility of adapting Requiem into Chinese with producer Yu Jingyi five years ago. She was also the person who introduced Sherman to Yu.

Sherman was in Beijing to attend the Chinese debut of Levin's play Winter Funeral on Dec 21, and he spoke about how Requiem was a life-changing experience for him.