The little theater movement went on hand in hand with dramatic experimentation. The little theater movement was experimental and usually avant-garde. In 1982,Absolute Signaldirected jointly by Gao Xingjian and Liu Huiyuan signified the beginning of the movement. Performed in an original way, the play attracted much attention within the theater circle.

In April 1989, during the First Chinese Little Theater Drama Festival held inNanjing, altogether 15 plays were performed, includingAbsolute Signal,You Should Not Bully Children and Old Men,Owl in the House,God of FireandGirl of Autumn. A discussion was also held over the aesthetic features and meaning of little theater drama.

In 1993,ChineseAcademyof Art and Society for the Research of Modern Chinese Drama jointly hosted 1993 Chinese Little Theater Drama Exhibition and International Academic Symposium inBeijing. Plays staged during the event includedAn Exercise of Feeling,A Lady at Home,Soul-Chilling TerrorandA Phone Call Across the Pacific Ocean. It promoted the development and research of the little theater movement inChina.

Gao Xingjian and Lin Zhaohua are two directors bent on dramatic experiment. The main purpose of their experiment with little theater drama was to strengthen its contact with the audience by using the advantages of modern drama.

From the birth date of 1982 up to now,China's Little Theater has had a history of almost twenty years and is a very important step in the development of modern Chinese Drama. Although commercializing of the art of modern drama is getting more and more attention, little theater drama is still facing a great challenge from a shrinking market.

--Absolute Signal

The story ofAbsolute Signalis developed in the last passenger compartment of a train. It depicted a depressed and perplexed young man who tripped and then turned over a new leaf by making up his mind to break with the train bandits. The success of the play lies, of course, in addressing a common question faced by the youth that grow up in the new environment. But what appeals more to the audience is its unique form of expression and its exploration and presentation of the character's inner world. First, the play stresses the contact between the actors and the audience and shortens the distance in between by performing it in a little theater. Second, it places the character in a stage scene switching frequently between reality, dream and memory, thus guiding the audience to feel the bottom of character's soul. It externalizes the character's moods, feelings and psychological activities.

The success ofAbsolute Signalstimulated the dramatists' motive to explore little theater.