Born in Tel Aviv to Polish parents, Levin studied philosophy and Hebrew literature at Tel Aviv University. He was regarded as Israel's most prolific and controversial playwright. During his career, he wrote 56 plays, directing most of them.

Semel, who set up the Hanoch Levin Institute of Israeli Drama in 2000, adds that Levin knew he was dying when he wrote Requiem, meaning the play can be seen as the director's personal introspection into life.

"Levin was a great storyteller with his sharp, painful and honest works. When Requiem was staged in Beijing, not a word and sound were made by the audience. They clapped for seven minutes after the show and I was very touched by the scene," says Lilian Barreto, Levin's widow.

Barreto, who is an actress, was the one who discussed the possibility of adapting Requiem into Chinese with producer Yu Jingyi five years ago. She was also the person who introduced Sherman to Yu.

Sherman was in Beijing to attend the Chinese debut of Levin's play Winter Funeral on Dec 21, and he spoke about how Requiem was a life-changing experience for him.