The Second National Short Play and Sketch Performance will be held in Changsha from November 12 to 22. With the theme "Gathering in Changsha: A Journey Through Drama," the event features 55 outstanding short plays and sketches selected from across the country, which have been curated into 14 high-quality performances to be staged alternately at the Hunan Opera Performance Center and the Hunan Grand Theater.

According to the organizers on November 10, unlike traditional theater performances, this event breaks down the boundaries of the stage and moves beyond professional theaters. It brings together a variety of venues, including ancient stages, old teahouses, museums, and small urban theaters, and features a series of activities such as theatrical discussions and immersive garden markets, creating a citywide theatrical extravaganza for everyone to see, explore, and experience.

The event will integrate drama into the vibrant daily life of the city, with outdoor opera special sessions at the ancient stage at Fire God Palace Restaurant, Tianfutai Teahouse, and other Changsha landmarks. Classic pieces from Hunan Opera, Flower-drum Opera, and puppet and shadow plays will be performed in turn, and well-known traditional excerpts such as "Hua Mulan Admonishes Her Son," "Liu Hai and the Three-legged Toad," and "The Seventh-rank Sesame Official" will be staged, allowing residents and tourists to experience the unique charm of traditional opera up close while tasting Changsha cuisine and strolling through old streets and alleys.

During the event, new performance spaces across Changsha continue to present a diverse array of theatrical productions. Small theaters in the University Town, intangible cultural heritage theaters, and distinctive urban small theaters will stage various types of plays including spoken drama, Peking Opera, puppet and shadow plays, and new adaptations of Flower-drum Opera. Through accessible, youth-oriented productions, these performances bring art out of theaters and closer to the public, making "good shows right by your side" a reality.

On November 18, a major accompanying event for this performance—the "Gathering through Drama in City Reception Hall: 'Audience'" Theater Dialogue—will be held at Hunan First Normal University. Four distinguished guests—Wang Peiyu, a Peking Opera performer and an inheritor of the laosheng role of the Yu School; Yu Rongjun, a national first-class playwright and vice chairman of the Shanghai Dramatists Association; Zhang Hui, an emerging drama director; and Yuan Hong, a veteran drama producer and curator of the Edinburgh Fringe Showcase—will gather in Changsha to engage in in-depth discussions on three key topics: "How Close Are Short Plays and Sketches to Us?", "How Can Short Plays and Sketches Turn 'Good Shows' into 'Good Business'?" and "Is AI Empowering Short Plays and Sketches to Steal the Spotlight or to Warm up the Audience?" Theater enthusiasts are welcome to attend and listen to the discussions on site, and participate in the Q & A session.

On November 11 and 12, the "Dongting Immortal Market" immersive garden party is scheduled to open at No. 321, Renmin Middle Road, Changsha. Drawing on the classic local Flower-drum Opera IP, the event will offer an immersive narrative experience, featuring fun activities such as completing challenges to collect stamps and interactions between immortals and mortals. The event will also host an intangible cultural heritage (ICH) market with Hunan characteristics, showcasing ICH products such as Miao embroidery, Hunan embroidery, clay figurines, and traditional incense-making craft, with ICH artisans sharing their stories of craftsmanship heritage on site. Additionally, opera flash mobs, traditional Chinese cultural performances, and themed lantern displays will allow residents to get immersed in the drama in advance and appreciate the unique charm of the fusion between traditional drama and Chinese-style cultural tourism.

From high-quality performances at professional theaters and the lively world of traditional opera on local stages to thought-provoking dialogues among renowned artists and an immersive Chinese-style garden party, the Second National Short Play and Sketch Performance will explore new ways to experience drama through diverse formats, inviting visitors from far and wide to gather in Changsha for a unique, immersive theatrical journey.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Chinanews