If you wander along the main
street of the West Scenic Zone in Wuzhen, you won’t miss the Ancient Courtyard
Theatre. The theatre was originally an open-air, courtyard stage in the
traditional Chinese style. An architectural jewel, it has been painstakingly
restored to its former splendor under the supervision of eminent theatre artist
Stan Lai, and enclosed for performances in any season. The hand-carved dome,
the exquisite details in the original woodwork, and the resplendent decorations
will give everyone special aesthetic enjoyment. The Ancient Courtyard Theatre
can entertain an audience of two or three hundred people for each performance.
An especially spectacular feature is that the back wall of the theatre opens
onto a picturesque canal, where the Emerald Pond holds additional seating and a
viewing area—offering the unique possibility of using the stage facing either
indoors or outdoors. The renovated Ancient Courtyard Theatre will serve as the
venue for both traditional Chinese opera and contemporary theatre productions.