Three original plays highlight new season

The Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center will launch a performance season in Beijing by introducing nine theatrical productions from Aug 2 to Oct 29.

"Our mission is to stage original Chinese plays and Western classics. For decades, we have been keeping the tradition," says Zhang Huiqing, vice-director of Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center. The center was founded in 1995 by two established theaters, Shanghai People's Art Theater and Shanghai Youth Drama Troupe.

This third season will see three original plays, including Chen Tingjing, based on Chinese writer Wang Yuewen's novel with the same title, about an official in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) named Chen Tingjing who fought against corruption; The Salty Taste of Cappuccino, a contemporary romantic story that premiered in 2002 and talks about a contemporary romantic story; and Lu Xun Blossoms, which was a joint production of the center and Canada's Smith Gilmour Theater in 2007, based on five short stories by famous Chinese writer Lu Xun.