The 2026 ACT Shanghai Contemporary Theatre Festival will run from Sept 5 to 19. This year's festival brings together theater companies and artists from Canada, China, France, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, offering a diverse lineup of performances, including several productions making their Asian debuts.

The festival opens with two performances on Sept 5 and 6. Thai choreographer Pichet Klunchun will showcase No.60, a prominent example of Asian contemporary dance. This piece is based on Khon, a traditional Thai dance drama recognized for its refined and detailed choreography. The second opening act is You Promised Me a Love Story from Barcelona's Sala Beckett, which features a fragmented structure and multiple perspectives to examine themes of encounters, desire, and intimacy.

The festival program also features:

• Sept 8: On The Up Grade by Chinese Ergao Dance Production Group, an immersive spectacle built around a single piece of wax-resist fabric.
• Sept 9-10: Thauma from Spain, a wordless mime piece that creates visual wonder through pure physicality.
• Sept 12-13: Civilization and Its Discontents from Canada, blending physical theater and slapstick comedy.
• Sept 12-13: asses.masses, a special festival project that combines role-playing, action, and rhythm in an interactive theater experience.
• Sept 15-16: Nevenka from Spain, a play based on a landmark legal case that explores the complexities behind social progress.
• Sept 15-16: After All from France, a fusion of theater, dance, and narrative exploring what lies at the end of life.
• Sept 18-19: FUSEES, a French production that takes audiences into space with its craft-driven imagination.

For full schedules and more details, follow the official WeChat account of Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre.

Source: Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre