However, his personal life hasn’t changed much since the show’s opening. As he and crewmembers all have day jobs, rehearsals are held in the evening, Xu Duo explained.

Xu Duo found that the amateur production came quite naturally “since the actors all had real experiences to draw from.” Sometimes, fellow workers were even invited to watch rehearsals and offer up suggestions.

The New Worker Art Troupe (NWAT), founded by a group of migrant workers in 2002, is a non-profit organization providing cultural and educational services to communities in the Beijing area. Members mainly consist of workers with a passion for the performing arts.

In addition to Village in the City, NWAT has performed the original drama Our World, Our Dream and released three music albums. Financially supported by Hong Kong Oxfam, they have held more than 300 free performances at construction sites, factories, schools and migrant communities.

“Construction workers, security guards, nannies and delivery men all play very important roles in the city and need to be given more attention and care.”

A feast for both theatergoers and theater professionals

With a foreign drama section added to the lineup, the event will produce 34 plays, both foreign and domestic. They come in different styles, reflecting young playwrights’ style and viewpoint. “Fringe,” the festival’s new name, suggests the avant guard quality of the festival.

Meng Jinghui said, “I think some plays featured at the festival are bizarre. Obviously the directors are probing some new places. The creators are pursuing different directions. As audiences, understand it or not, through the multiple presentations, you can find a relationship between today’s youngsters and society... with their inner self, and with the future.”

Huang Ying said, “I strongly feel that I grew up with the festival. Now I think I’m mature, but maybe too much, like an apple that has begun to rot, so I’m back to take part in the festival, to let myself be youthful again, to keep the status of being fresh and green, then I can still make progress.”

Harold Pinter.

“While the works of foreign masters move us by brilliant stories, high aesthetic taste and philosophical thinking, Chinese theaters are still struggling to search for intriguing stories and that’s the difference,” Meng Jinghui commented.

“Theatrical playwrights are all seeking opportunities in film and TV industries. The appeal of drama is giving way to commercialization. It is the fringe festival that provides opportunities for young professions to gather together,” commented Yu Lu, director and PhD student at the Central Academy of Drama.