The 15th Shanghai Contemporary Theatre Festival is set to take place from Sept 6 to Oct 13. Returning after four years, the festival continues to provide a stage for innovative and exploratory creations, introducing the world's cutting-edge theater trends to local audiences. 

It will present international contemporary works by troupes from seven countries — Italy, Thailand, Greece, Portugal, Australia, Croatia, and China.

Included in the lineup this year are nine productions spanning genres such as drama, miming, experimental performance, and dance theatre, with three productions to be staged for the first time in the Chinese mainland and two to make their Asian debuts.

The Angel of History by the Italian troupe Sotterraneo will serve as the festival's opening performance. This Song Father Used to Sing by Thai director Wichaya Artamat and For What Theater connects one person's history to the complex political context of a metropolis.

Greek director and actor Euripides Lascaris, who has collaborated with masters of visual theatre such as Dimitris Papaioannou and Robert Wilson, will showcase Titans, a performance based on ancient Greek creation myths using body movements, lighting, and props. 

The Portuguese troupe Mala Voadora & Miguel Pereira's Wilde draws inspiration from Oscar Wilde and his play Lady Windermere's Fan, incorporating elements of radio drama to reshape the idealized female image. 

Australia's Back-to-Back Theatre presents The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes, a poignant piece performed by people with autism. 

The Zagrebacko Kazaliste Mladih Theatre from Croatia revives the classic The Bald Soprano, while the Italian production Of the Nightingale I Envy the Fate blends feminine vulnerability with fiery revenge.

Of the two Chinese productions, A Rose for Emily by Yu Erge Dance Theater, which is inspired by the short story of the same title by William Faulkner, combines acrobatics, contemporary dance, and physical theatre to create a suspenseful and thrilling theatrical experience. Interface Phantom‰ delves into the essence of humanity in the digital age, exploring artistic boundaries within a 360-degree circular screen.

Source: Shanghai Observer