The Shandong Provincial Department of Culture convenes a news conference on Aug 24 to introduce agreements of the upcoming Shandong international small theater festival. [Photo/ Shandong Culture]

A total of 22 drama performances by famous national and international theaters will be staged in Shandong in September and October to mark the province's first international small theater festival, according to a news conference convened on Aug 24 by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture in Jinan.

Jointly organized by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and the Shandong Provincial Theater, the first Shandong international small theater festival will invite renowned drama troupes, art institutions and academies from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and the Belt and Road countries. They will showcase their classic plays.

Small theaters are known for their low budget and experimental drama productions for a relatively limited audience. Over the past 20 years, small theater productions have experienced rapid growth and attracted increasing amount of audiences in China.

A still from The Flowers' Clown produced by the National Theater of China. The show will be staged during the small theater festival in Shandong. [Photo/ Shandong Culture]

The festival is a major part of Shandong's first cultural consumption season, which is designed to promote the province's unique cultural atmosphere, create a favorable environment for stimulating cultural consumption, demonstrate the growing power of local consumers, boost regional cultural industry development, as well as foster cultural consumption as a new economic growth point.

A series of drama-related activities will also take place during the festival, including forums, lectures by experts and meet-and-greets with cast members.

A still from China's avant-garde director Meng Jinghui's Rhinoceros in Love. The play will be staged during the small theater festival in Shandong. [Photo/ Shandong Culture]

The government-funded cultural consumption coupons have been released through the Union-pay APP, the cultural consumption information service platform and the Shandong Ticket Information website, and through these channels people can purchase discounted tickets for the plays.