The 2026 Aranya Theater Festival will be held in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, from June 17 to 28.
Centered on the theme "Gaze and Adventure", this year's program brings together 34 productions from 14 countries, including China, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Spain, Austria, Poland, Argentina, Chile, and Ireland, in a lineup designed to draw global attention.
Artistic director Meng Jinghui, who also leads the National Theatre of China, outlined a five-part structure aimed at presenting bold, contemporary theater from around the world.
The festival opens with City of Fiction, adapted from Yu Hua's novel and directed by Chen Minghao, starring Zhou Dongyu and Duan Yihong. It tells the story of a young man from northern China who embarks on a journey south in search of a fictional city. The international opening performance will be La Contadora de Peliculas, a Chilean production about a young girl, Maria, who tells the story of everlasting love and longing, inspired by films.
The festival will also feature a wide array of other highly anticipated productions. One such performance is Na Han, a Chinese-German collaboration adapted from the short story collection by Lu Xun, addressing complex themes such as family relationships.
A French-Chinese production, Dans la tempete continue, will focus on the dynamics within a family. Italian theater will also be represented with L'angelo del focolare, by director Emma Dante, a piece focusing on the lives of housewives.
From China, The Hours reimagines Virginia Woolf's novel under Meng Jinghui's direction, featuring Huang Xiangli.
Also premiering is S.M.A.X, the first theater work by rock musician Cui Jian. The play explores the spiritual dilemmas of humanity in the age of technology. The performance will feature a unique, mobile sound wave stage designed exclusively for the festival. Audience members will experience the resonance of multiple acoustic zones, with sound moving closer, farther, and even passing through the crowd. Coupled with live, improvised music by professional musicians, the audience's positions and movements will directly influence the development of the plot.
In addition to the dramatic performances, the festival will also host a range of interdisciplinary artistic activities, including art exhibitions, environmental theater readings, workshops, film screenings, dialogues, and street performances.
