At the Festival, it is not unusual to brush shoulders on the ancient streets with the masters of the world's theatre. The Wuzhen Dialogues are an integral part of the Festival, a platform that utilizes the presence of all the artists at the Festival to exchange thoughts and ideas about theatre and creativity, China and the world, the past and the future. The Dialogues are free to the public.

In the previous Wuzhen Theatre Festivals, audiences were treated close up to artist dialogues that included Honorary Chairman of the Festival Robert Brustein, European avant garde maestro Eugenio Barba, David Henry Hwang, Stan Lai, Huang Lei, Meng Jinghui, Tian Qinxin, Shi Hang, and Raymond Zhou, among others. Workshops were held by Odin Teatret, where participants learned theatre techniques close at hand from eminent theatre artists.

“Every year, artists, distinguished guests, and theatre masters come to the Wuzhen Dialogues to participate in this annual discussion about theatre. Here, the audience can get closer to these theatre artists and enjoy their thoughts and ideas on theatre, art, life, and the world in a relaxed atmosphere. The Wuzhen Dialogues series is an integral component of the Festival, and is free to the public. We hope that each audience member enjoys a hot cup of tea while feeling and listening to the true blend of the masters’ heart and soul in the dreamy town of Wuzhen.”

— Stan Lai

Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of the Festival

The Wuzhen Workshops 2016

01 THE BODY AND WORDS OF EVERYDAY LIFE

Mikuni Yanaihara Project

In this workshop, actors will speak short lines while changing the room settings around, to explore how our bodies are connected. This exercise is not to show excessive physical activity, but to see how natural actors can be when speaking their lines while carrying out everyday body movements. It won’t be difficult! PLEASE JOIN US.

02 INVOLVEMENT IN CREATING THEATER

Alex Scheer Main Actor, DER SPIELER

In this workshop, Alex Scheer will talk about the rehearsals for Der Spieler with Frank Castorf, and his involvement. Frank Castorf always takes a very special approach to rehearsal. Alex Scheer will also talk about his personal involvement in creating this special theater.

03 AS IF IT WAS NOT

Phil Hayes Director, LEGENDS & RUMOURS

As If It Was Not - a short workshop on openness and arrangement— creating material and arranging it, working with the “rules” of behavior and rules of performance. In his own work, Phil Hayes often works with different collaborators to take each project in a new or different direction. We will look at the guidelines and techniques developed in making Legends & Rumours with Maria Jerez & Thomas Kasebacher, and in his more recent works, including Love & Happiness, and in research currently underway for his upcoming production, These Are My Principles... Phil has been asked to lead a short workshop as an introduction to working with and changing performance rules, and to games for developing both content and form.

04 DRAWING LIFE THEATRE

Li Ning Director, A Dictionary of the Soul

The international physical theatre artist, Li Ning, created Drawing Life Theatre, researching new ways of training the body and creating work based on one’s personal background, as well as on theories of observation in the visual arts. This workshop aims to help art lovers understand their body aesthetics, to express and explore their bodies through movement, to improve physical and mental health, thus achieving an extraordinary state of Life. Li Ning will lead the workshop, creating an enjoyable learning experience for participants to understand the Drawing Life Theatre by focusing on their bodies. The workshop will also create new features of environmental theatre and site specific works.

05 TELLING YOUR OWN STORY

Nancy Black Director and Playwright, BLIND

Duda Paiva  Co-playwright, Puppet Maker and Performer, BLIND

This will be a workshop about making one’s own life the subject for a theatre piece. Nancy Black and Duda Paiva will discuss with you the challenges they faced when they created BLIND, a show based on Duda’s experiences of becoming blind as a child. They had to ask themselves: Why use your own life as a subject? How do you make one’s personal life relevant to everyone? How do you combine the truth of the experience with making a theatre piece? How do you structure the work? They chose to use puppets as one of their main tools for telling the story. It’s an ancient art, well known to Chinese culture, but Duda’s puppets are for today! He will bring his puppets to the workshop, and invite participants to handle them. He and Nancy will explore with you how powerfully puppets can express ideas and feelings, and why sometimes they are much better than actors! You will discover the basics of bringing an object to life, and maybe use it to tell a story!

The Wuzhen Dialogues 2016

01 TRADITION AND INNOVATION IN ASIAN THEATRE

Stan Lai, theatre director and Executive Chairman of Wuzhen Theatre Festival

Deepan Sivaraman, Artistic Director of Oxygen Theatre Company, Kerala-India

Mikuni Yanaihara, theatre director, Japan

02 DREAMS AND REALITY IN SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS

Shen Lin, professor of China Central Academy of Drama

Dou hui, theatre director

Hans-Thies Lehmann, professor of Theatre Studies at Goethe- Universität, Frankfurt am Main, world renowned theatre theorist, Germany

03 CREATING NEW WORKS BASED ON CLASSICAL THEATRE LITERATURE

Shi Hang, playwright and critic

Jan Klata, General and Artistic Director of the National Stary Theater in Krakow, Poland

Chen Minghao, theatre director

Vidas Bareikis, Director of No Theatre, Lithuania