Wuzhen Theatre Festival unveils 13th edition program

With wind and rain sweeping through the ancient water town, the 13th Wuzhen Theatre Festival officially launched its program lineup at a news conference on Aug 11. Under the theme "Serene Transcendence", a state of tranquility and lofty aspirations, the festival will run from Oct 15 to 25, featuring 25 productions from 10 countries, with 71 performances across 12 venues.

The invited productions are organized into five sections: Cosmopolitan Luminosity, Striking Angles, From Heaven to Earth, Cutting Edges, and Academic Observation. The lineup includes 11 international productions from Germany, France, Italy, Chile and beyond, two co-productions, and 12 domestic works.

The opening production is The Wild Duck, directed by Thomas Ostermeier and performed by Berlin's Schaubuehne Theater, which premiered at the 2025 Avignon Festival to critical acclaim. The closing production is Cosmos, directed by French director Maelle Poesy, based on the real-life Mercury 13 program.

Notable Chinese and cross-cultural works include Stan Lai's Twilight Sky, exploring aging and end-of-life care, and artistic director Meng Jinghui's The Playboy of the Western World, adapted from J.M. Synge's classic 1907 play.

A new venue known as Expo Center Hall A2 will debut, hosting French dance production Rave Lucid and Shaanxi People's Art Theatre's Starry Sky and the Half Tree.

The festival's Emerging Theatre Artists' Competition, which has nurtured over 800 young practitioners in 12 years, has opened to global participants for the first time. Registration will close on Aug 20.

This year also marks a significant change in how audiences can buy tickets. The festival has eliminated the online reservation system for both the Emerging Theatre Artists' Competition and preview readings. All tickets will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, as an anti-scalping measure. "If we can let more people get in, that's what we should do," said Huang Lei, co-founder of the festival.

In addition, sections including the Dialogue and Dream Granary will continue this year. The outdoor carnival will feature over 1,000 street performances across Wuzhen's historical alleys, and Stan Lai will also host a four-day improvisation workshop.

Tickets will go on sale in two rounds: the first on Aug 22 and the second on Sept 5. The festival maintains its affordable pricing policy, with an average ticket price below 350 yuan ($52).

Since its launch in 2013, the Wuzhen Theatre Festival has grown into a regular fixture on China's cultural calendar. This year's edition continues the tradition with a focus on international programming and support for emerging talent, as the festival's co-founder and chairman Chen Xianghong puts it, "staying true to the essence of theater".