The ‘International Theatre Festival’ for college students, as one of the Alliance's flagship events, is held every two years by the Central Academy of Drama in China. Due to COVID-19, the festival that is supposed to take place in 2021 was regrettably canceled. In 2023, with the kind support from member institutions, the Central Academy of Drama proudly hosted the International Festival again, with optional themes: ‘Tragedies by Shakespeare’ or ‘Works by National Playwright’. Students and educators from China, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States gathered together once again in Beijing to showcase their distinctively captivating stage productions.

On Oct. 23, the Opening Ceremony of WTEA International Theatre Festival 2023 was held at Theatre Centre of Changping Campus, the Central Academy of Drama (CAD), China. The ceremony was attended by President Hao Rong of the CAD, Rector George Shalutashvili of Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University from Georgia, Rector Anna Luise Kiss of Ernst Busch University of Dramatic Art from Germany, Director Konstantinos Arvanitakis of Athens Conservatoire Drama School from Greece, Professor Miura Go with Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music from Japan, Professor Baek Nam-Young with Chung-Ang University Department of Theatre from Republic of Korea, Rector Advisor Irina Zhukovav of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) from Russia, Dean Mark Parker of Oklahoma City University School of Drama from the United States of America, along with the participants from WTEA member schools, including the leadership, faculty members and students from the CAD.

First of all, Director Konstantinos Arvanitakis was invited to deliver a speech, in which he mentioned, “Theatre, along with science and philosophy, was born 2.5 millenia ago, not out of thin air, but due to the convergence of ideas from different civilizations around the Mediterranean…While, at the same time, on this side of the planet walked Lao Tse, Confucius and Gautama Sidharta. We are all closer than we think.” He highlighted the power of theatre through several thought-provoking parallel sentences, “In theatre we trust to keep us out of the horror of the mundane. In theatre we trust to defy time by keeping us young. In theatre we trust to defy idiocy by keeping us childish. In theatre we trust to keep our pockets full, not with money, but with tools to face one absurd play called ‘Life’”. At the end of the beautifully written speech, he hailed to all the theatre practitioners, “In you we trust”.

Director Konstantinos Arvanitakis Delivering A Speech

The next speaker was President Hao Rong of the CAD. First of all, he extended his warmest welcome to all the guests, experts, scholars, and students that participated in WTEA International Theatre Festival 2023. Then he elaborated on the two themes of this year’s festival, ‘Tragedies by Shakespeare’ and ‘Works by National Playwright’, before comparing World Theatre Education Alliance (WTEA) as “a bridge across time and civilizations, connects Shakespearean drama…savoured by people worldwide, with works by native writers nurtured by distinctive soil, and then integrates them into the context of the new era.” When it comes to what theatre practitioners should do, he commented, “While imparting the quintessential traditional of our nations, we localize what we have learned from other civilizations. It is building on such process that we all have contributed abundant theatrical productions characterized by diachronous and cross-cultural elements.”

WTEA Secretary-General Hao Rong Delivering A Speech

At the end of his speech, Prof. Hao announced to kick off WTEA International Theatre Festival 2023. Then, the students from the CAD gave wonderful performances themed as ‘In Theatre We Trust’, as the highlight of the Opening Ceremony.

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