Over the past 11 years, the Wuzhen Theatre Festival has provided a platform for young theater enthusiasts to display their talents, inspiring them to continue creating innovative works.

A total of 179 original plays have been chosen for the Emerging Theatre Artists Competition, with over 11,000 young individuals registering.

Many of these participants are now active in the theater community.

In addition to the competition, the festival aims to offer more opportunities to young people through various events, including the newly added Granary Reverie, a segment featuring experimental plays with a runtime of around one hour.

The Wuzhen Theatre Festival is also providing opportunities for young international theater artists seeking more opportunities.

For example, Bianca Thomas, who recently obtained her master's degree in directing at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, Austria, brought her diploma production K.I. and Abel to the Wuzhen stage as a special invitation this year.

Exploring the role of AI in today's society and the responsibility of those who program it, she developed the script with the assistance of ChatGPT.

"I never imagined I could bring my work to Asia so soon," she says.

Reflecting on the experience, she mentions that her most memorable moment was the work's debut in Wuzhen.

"We didn't know how the Chinese audience would react. It was exciting to hear their applause and calls for 'director' after the show," she says.

Thomas says theater festivals are a chance to network with other directors, stage designers and musicians.

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