The 3rd GATS (Global Alliance ofTheatre Schools) International Theatre Festival, hosted by the Academy andco-hosted by China Education TV, opened in the Academy on Sep.19. Teachers andstudents from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA),Sofia, Bulgaria; China Central Academy of Drama; The School ofDramatic Arts “Ernst Busch”, Germany; Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music,Japan; Chung-ang University, Korea; Veracruzana University, Theatre Faculty,Mexico; and Karpenko-Kary National University of Theatre, Cinema andTelevision, Kiev, Ukraine participated in the Theatre Festival. Experts from theChinese Ministry of Education , the China Theatre Association and the mediawere presented at the ceremony.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Prof.LIU Libin, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Academy and the ExecutiveChair of the organizing committee of the Festival. Mr. YANG Jun,Deputy-director of the Department of International Cooperation andCommunication of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Mr. WANG Feng,Deputy-director of the Department of Culture, Science and Technology of theChinese Ministry of Culture, Prof. Corneliu Dumitriu, Chairholder of UNESCOChair-ITI and Secretary General of GATS and Prof. XU Xiang, Principal of theAcademy and Chair of the Organizing Committee of the Festival addressed theopening ceremony.

7 workshops will be conducted and 13productions will be presented during the Theatre Festival.