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Photo: Courtesy of Daliangshan Theatre Festival

Around 100 productions from 11 countries will grace the stage of the 6th Daliangshan Theatre Festival 2024, to be held from Friday to November 17 in Xichang, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, organizers of the event told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Featuring the involvement of the highest number of foreign artists and countries since its inception in 2019, this year's event will see international artists from around the world, including France, Brazil and Iraq, explore how theater can serve as a bridge for global cultural exchange under the theme of "Connecting the World through Theatre." The discussions will focus on using theater as a universal language to encourage multicultural fusion and creativity.

Tobias Biancone, the director-general of the International Theatre Institute under UNESCO, praised the event as a "pure theater festival" with "unlimited potential" for growth in the dramatic arts.

In the expansive Daliangshan region, visitors can experience the rich blend of diverse cultures of local ethnic communities and vibrant artistic expression. 

The global artists have been invited to take part in its experimental theater camp for a seven-day nature-inspired creative journey. By visiting the lakes, wetland and mountains, they will engage in collaborative projects, integrating storytelling, music, dance, and other artistic expressions with natural surroundings.

The festival will open with a preview performance of Star Returning, a production featuring local Yi ethnic performers in Daliangshan and delves into their rich cultural heritage. Notably, Star Returningwill have its world premiere as the opening performance of the Journées Théâtrales de Carthage on November 23 in Tunis. Many productions are set to make their debut at the festival. 

Jidi Majia, a prominent poet and one of the initiators of the festival, views the festival as an integral part of global theater culture. He said that the festival's energy demonstrates its potential for an even brighter future. 

The event is expanding its reach and accessibility by promoting itself as a theater festival for people of all ages, with a wide array of performances, catering to diverse tastes and interests. Alongside traditional and contemporary Chinese and international plays, the lineup includes musicals, ­physical theater, children's theater, interactive ­puppet installations, dances, stilt parades, ­avant-garde performances, and modern dance theater. 

In 2023, the festival saw nearly 50,000 attendees, reflecting its growing popularity and impact. The festival also achieved an impressive level of media exposure, with over 5.26 billion views across online and offline platforms.