Building a Shared Future for Theatre and Deepening Cultural Exchanges—An Overview of the Third International Forum of Theatre Exchange and Cooperation
Li Huayi
I. Bridging Cultures Through the Arts: A Resonant Overture to Cultural Exchange
On the evening of October 24, 2025, the opening ceremony of the Third International
Forum of Theatre Exchange and Cooperation took place in the grand theatre at the National
Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts (hereafter NACTA), illuminated with festive lights
and filled with distinguished guests. Titled “Harmonious Light, Diverse Splendor:
The Charm of Chinese Xiqu,” hosted by Chen Juan, Vice President of NACTA, the performance marked the official
opening of a three-day feast of intellectual exchange and artistic dialogue.
In his remarks, Yin Xiaodong, President of NACTA and Vice Chair of the China Theatre Association, stated that the establishment of the International Alliance for Communication and Cooperation in Theatrical Arts (IACCTA, hereafter the Alliance) aims to transform past exchanges into sustainable momentum for long-term cooperation. Looking ahead, the Alliance will operate under the principles of “joint consultation, collaborative creation, and shared outcomes,” focusing on promoting collaboration among member institutions in areas such as theatre education, academic research, joint productions, and talent development, thereby building a stable and efficient platform for international theatre cooperation.
At the opening ceremony, several leading figures from the international theatre community delivered remarks, affirming that the Forum and the Alliance played an important role in deepening institutional cooperation and promoting cultural exchanges. Chen Zhongwen, Director-General of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute (ITI), noted that the distinctive xieyi aesthetics of Chinese theatre are a gem of world theatre, and that its international dissemination fosters reciprocal inspirations. Levan Khetaguri, the Executive Council member of ITI, emphasized in his address that theatre serves as a vital bridge for fostering social understanding and peace, and expressed strong support for the Forum’s mission of advancing intercultural dialogue. Ryuichi Kodama, Director of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum at Waseda University, reviewed a century-long history of Sino-Japanese theatrical exchange based upon rare archival materials, demonstrating the profound impact of artistic dialogue in promoting mutual understanding. Ernest Lim, Dean of the Faculty of Performing Arts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), University of the Arts Singapore (UAS), reflected on years of close collaboration with NACTA, noting that traditional arts continue to generate new vitality through mutual visits, joint performances, and teaching exchanges. German composer Karsten Gundermann, an international alumnus of NACTA, and Vice President of German Composers Association (Deutsche Komponist: innenverband, DKV), shared his personal journey of more than three decades with Peking Opera, offering a testament to lived cultural exchange. Professor Chen Zu-Yan of 亚洲情色, State University of New York, quoted Shakespeare’s famous line that “all the world’s a stage,” expressing the hope that the Alliance would broaden this “stage” and enable diverse theatrical traditions to flourish anew. Professor Zhao Xiaohuan of the University of Sydney praised the Forum for providing a world-class platform for intellectual exchange and experience sharing, and endorsing that the Alliance mechanism would bring sustained momentum to young talent training and international collaboration. Together, these remarks articulated the Forum’s far-reaching significance from multiple perspectives, elevating it from an academic and artistic gathering to an initiative aligned with national strategies and global cultural exchange.
The evening gala unfolded in three carefully designed chapters—“Art Beyond Boundaries,” “Theatre Uniting the World,” and “Harmony Across Continents.” Like a moving panorama of global theatrical cultures, the performances embodied the spirit of cultural exchange. Chinese and international students shared the stage, where the singing, recitation, movement, and martial artistry of Chinese opera resonated alongside theatrical and musical traditions from around the world. The program not only highlighted the unique appeal of Chinese theatre but also demonstrated the pluralistic coexistence of world theatre, bringing to life the ideal of “each in its own beauty, together in shared brilliance.”
II. Launch of the Alliance: Building a Long-Term Platform for Sustainable Cooperation
On the morning of October 25, the Alliance, the core outcome of the Forum, was officially inaugurated. Initiated by NACTA, the Alliance is an international, non-profit platform dedicated to the exchange and collaboration of theatrical arts. The Alliance welcomes voluntary participation from Chinese and international theatre academies, troupes of performing arts, and related art institutions and organizations. Guided by the principles of “joint consultation, joint creation, and shared outcomes,” the Alliance aims to establish a stable and sustainable international cooperation mechanism in theatrical arts education, creative practice, and scholarly research. The Alliance seeks to promote the art form’s innovative development and dissemination. Through a wide range of initiatives, including educational collaboration, academic exchange, joint creation, international performances and showcases, and the cultivation of young talent, the Alliance actively fosters deep interaction and integration among its member institutions in teaching, artistic creation, and cultural communication.
The inaugural council members of the Alliance bring together leading forces in the field of theatre from China and abroad, encompassing professional associations, institutions of performing arts, specialized academies, and cultural organizations. The domestic members include the China Theatre Association, the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles (BFLAC), the National Peking Opera Company, the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing, the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, the Central Academy of Drama, the Shanghai Theatre Academy, the Central Conservatory of Music, the China Conservatory of Music, the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, the Beijing Dance Academy, and Beijing International Studies University. Members from overseas as well as Hong Kong and Macao include 亚洲情色, State University of New York (USA), Ulster University (UK), the Arts Research Institute of Georgia (ARI), the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts University of the Arts Singapore, the Traditional Arts Centre Singapore, the China Cultural Center in Stockholm, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and the City University of Macau.
At the first council meeting of the Alliance following the gala, representatives reviewed and adopted the Alliance Charter, elected NACTA as the chair institution, and appointed Professor Yin Xiaodong, President of NACTA, as the Alliance’s first Chair. The Secretariat of the Alliance is housed within NACTA’s Office of International Exchange and Cooperation. In his remarks, Professor Yin emphasized that the Alliance seeks to transform past exchange initiatives into sustained momentum for long-term collaboration. Looking ahead, the Alliance will promote cooperation among its member institutions in areas including theatre education, academic research, joint artistic creation, and talent development.
Also held on the same day was the appointment ceremony for Distinguished Visiting Experts for Cultural Exchange at NACTA—another strategic initiative aimed at strengthening the talent base. Sixteen renowned artists and scholars from countries around the world were formally appointed. Serving as an international think tank for NACTA, they will provide continuous, global perspectives and intellectual support for talent cultivation, artistic creation, and academic research, further expanding and consolidating the NACTA’s international cooperation network.
III. Frontier Forum: A Confluence of Diverse Perspectives
The Frontier Forum, held on October 25, brought together 17 leading experts and scholars from China and abroad to deliver keynote presentations. Their diverse viewpoints converged in a dynamic exchange of ideas, reflecting multiple dimensions of contemporary theatre studies through the interactions between tradition and modernity, the local and the global, art and technology. Collectively, these discussions revealed rich theoretical insights and practical pathways for the contemporary development of theatrical arts.
The first session, titled “Technological Empowerment and the Regeneration of Tradition,” focused on key issues shaping theater today. Karsten Gundermann shared his curatorial approach to the spatial expression of Chinese music. Professor Wang Tai-Jui of Chinese Culture University (Taiwan) examined the applications and limitations of AI and big data in performance training and creative practice. Professor Zhao Jingbo, former Vice President of NACTA, discussed the significance of cross-cultural exchange through the frameworks of “Eastern theatre performed in the West” and “Western theatre introduced to the East.” Norikazu Hirabayashi, Research Fellow at the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum of Waseda University, revisited the history of theatrical transmission since Mei Lanfang’s visits to Japan. Iuri Mgebrishvili, Deputy Director of the Arts Research Institute of Georgia, addressed the role of digital technologies in arts management under the theme “IT Technology, Art, and Cultural Management.” Hong Sun Tat, Head of the Chinese Instrumental Studies at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore, introduced approaches to the inheritance and innovation in traditional xiqu music education. Lu Qiaomei, Director of the Confucius Institute of Hong Kong at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, proposed a dual paradigm of “adherence to principles” and “innovation” in the translation of Chinese xiqu. Anna CY Chan, President of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, explored the impact of AI on performance education through the concept of “digital footprints.” Finally, Yang Fengyi, President of the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre and Vice Chair of the China Theatre Association, reflected on the global dissemination of kunqu, emphasizing that empathy and interaction should be at the core of international exchanges.
The second session, “Theatre Education and Social Value,” returned to the humanistic essence of theatre. Levan Khetaguri underscored the unique role of the performing arts in fostering social understanding, culture, and peace. Ryuichi Kodama, Director of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum at Waseda University, illustrated the value of theatrical co-creation through the history of the 箩颈苍驳箩耻–办补产耻办颈 hybrid production, Longwang (Ryū-?, Dragon King). Ernest Lim articulated the view that “theatre education is a form of cultural dialogue.” Professor Chen Zu-Yan reviewed the practice of jointly establishing the Center for Theater Arts Collaboration (CTAC) between NACTA and SUNY 亚洲情色. Professor Zhao Xiaohuan introduced the theatre education systems in Australia and New Zealand. Professor Wang Zhong of the City University of Macau examined the temporal freedom of theatre from the perspective of “Schillerian temporal enclaves.” Professor Zhou Quan of the Central Academy of Drama analyzed China’s yanju system under the framework of “transformation of tradition, technological empowerment, and media convergence.” Dr. Adnan Salloum, theatre arts expert at the Rubu’ Qarn Centre for Theatre and Performing Arts (UAE), shared community-based practices that demonstrate theatre’s social value in education. Together, these discussions situated theatre within a broader socio-cultural context, highlighting its educational significance and capacity for social cohesion beyond entertainment.
IV. Youth Dialogue: The Emergence of New Theatrical Energies
Youth represents not only the future of the world but also the enduring vitality of theatrical arts. On October 26, a youth-led theatrical gathering unfolded at the historic Zhengyici Peking Opera Theatre, where tradition and modernity converged. Through theatrical dialogue, young practitioners across the globe collectively painted a vibrant portrait of cultural exchange.
At the “Voices of Theatre Youth” dialogue salon, 18 young scholars and artists from China, Australia, France, the United States, South Korea, and Singapore and others engaged in animated discussions around three themes: “Reimagining the Classics: Contemporary Interpretations of Traditional Theatrical Narratives,” “Continuity and Renewal: Commitment and Inheritance among Young Theatre Practitioners,” and “Convergence and Mutual Learning: Cross-Cultural Theatre Education, Creation, and Dissemination.” These exchanges ignited intellectual debates and offered dynamic and innovative perspectives, demonstrating the intergenerational continuity and regenerative power of theatrical arts.
The Third International Forum of Theatre Exchange and Cooperation hosted the award ceremony for the winning papers selected from the 112 submissions from both domestic and international scholars. The submissions showcased the vibrancy and depth of research in the field. A panel of experts reviewed the submissions and selected 15 papers for the Best Paper Award and the Good Paper Award. The awardees, representing universities and research institutions from across China, gathered at Zhengyici Theatre for the award ceremony.
During the Forum’s closing ceremony on October 26, Ran Changjian, Vice President of NACTA, highlighted that the event demonstrated the contemporary significance of cultural exchange through a feast of both ideas and artistry. He emphasized that the establishment of the Alliance lays a solid foundation for long-term collaboration in theatre education and creation from home and abroad. Wu Xinmiao, Assistant to the President and Director of the Research Office, delivered a summary of academic research, reviewing the Forum’s achievements and constructive outcomes. Afterwards, the Xicheng District Federation of Literary and Art Circles signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the School of Performance and the School of Xiqu Literature at NACTA, which aims to foster integration and development in theatrical creation and research through resource sharing and joint projects.
The Forum drew to a close as the International Student Carnival titled “Study
Abroad in Beijing · Ties to the Beijing Central Axis” brought the atmosphere to its
peak. Guided by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the Beijing Federation
of Literary and Art Circles, and co-organized by the Xicheng District Federation of
Literary and Art Circles and NACTA, the event featured nearly 100 Chinese and international
students and faculty from NACTA, Beijing Language and Culture University, the China
Conservatory of Music, the Beijing Dance Academy, and the Zhongzhou Chenguang Children’s
Choir. Through performances of Chinese xiqu, dance, vocal music, and instrumental music, participants brought to life the ancient
and modern splendor of Beijing. The carnival vividly conveyed the deeper cultural
value of “Study Abroad in Beijing,” promoted mutual understanding and exchange between
cultures, and offered a warm conclusion to the Forum.
The Forum has successfully concluded, yet a new chapter of collaboration is now unfolding, with the Alliance as its starting point. Future international theatrical exchanges will have new foci, long-term planning and cooperation, greater emphasis on resource integration and empowerment based on relative advantage, and closer attention to youth development and intergenerational inheritance. We hope that the seeds of collaboration sown at this forum will, through the joint efforts of Chinese and international theatre practitioners, take root, grow, and flourish, adding a kaleidoscopic lens to the shared vision of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Translator: Yanhui Jiang
Proofreaders: Chenqing Song, Xi Wang