International children's theater summit set to open in Beijing

The annual artistic gathering of ASSITEJ, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People, will come to China for the first time to be held at the China National Theatre for Children in Beijing from August 18 to 24.

One of the largest international delegations of artists, theater managers, and children's theater researchers — around 500 people from 46 countries — will come to Beijing.

According to Yin Xiaodong, head of the China National Theatre for Children, 17 productions from ten countries, including China, the United States and Poland, will be staged in more than 50 performances in Beijing.

The Children's Theatre of Charlotte from the US will perform an adaptation of China Idiom Stories, one of the most popular productions staged by the China National Theatre for Children, at the opening show on August 18.

Yin says that the American actors will perform the three short Chinese stories inspired by Chinese traditional idioms, both in Chinese and English.

On August 22, child actors from Gexinli Primary School in the Dongcheng district of Beijing will perform the fairy tale drama, The Twelve Months, in English.

Other highlights will see The Train Theater from Israel perform The Cubes Circus on August 23, the Arena Theater Company from Australia perform the musical Sunny Ray and the Magnificent Moon on August 21 and 22, and The Puppet and Actor Theater of Walbrzych from Poland will stage the children's play Little Red Riding Hood on August 26.

Yin adds that besides the many live performances on offer, many theater workshops, seminars and dialogue sessions will also take place, exploring issues such as exchange programs, developing child acting talent and enhancing creativity in youth theater.