Theater of the future

Actress Huang Xiangli's monodrama, adapted from Austrian writer Stefan Zweig's novella Letter from an Unknown Woman, has celebrated its 10th anniversary since its premiere. She will give a new rendition of the play by working with a VR company in an art gallery in Beijing's 798 Art Zone from May 3 to 5, which will be combined with artworks such as installations.

The festival will also see collaborations of international talent. For example, artists from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Amsterdam and Portland, will give an hourlong performance by American stage director Peter Sellars. German dramatist Sebastian Kaiser will work with over 30 artists from China and Europe in a performance, titled Artistic Intelligence Network, exploring the new format of theater.

"We want to use technology to augment traditional theater, which involves lots of visuals, interaction and communication," says Chen Yan, founder and CEO of NG Comic, a Beijing-headquartered company that's working with artists for the festival by offering "virtual human products" to engage in theatrical works.

"AI-assisted technologies are readily available. I notice there's concern about the prediction that AI would outperform humans. But I believe that technologies may stimulate a civilizational transformation rather than replacing artists, who are independent, creative and irreplaceable," says Chen.