Native English audiences fascinated by Chinese classics

Children play ahead of the opening of China Children's Theatre Festival, on Saturday, July 6, 2019. [Photo provided to China Plus]

Journey to the West, a classic work of Chinese literature, has been adapted numerous times for the stage.

But a European theatre-maker recently said native English audiences would love to see it combined with western elements.

Narcisa Mocanu, who comes from Romania, is the president of the European Cultural Center for Education through Art and Culture.

"When I had a discussion with the producer of an Edinburgh art festival, he told me that English audience is very interested and fascinated about this play, and this story. The most beautiful thing of the play is not the traditional Chinese stage, but being mixed with western style. And also we kept the local traditional kind of arts."

Mocanu says this version of "Journey to the West" is a co-production between China and Romania. Romania sent a director and a cinegrapher to work with the Chinese cast. Now, both sides are working together to give this play international visibility.

Mocanu spoke alongside the International Children's Theatre Cooperation and Development Forum.

"It's very important to create a dialogue between west and east. In all these five years, I saw many Chinese children very interested in the way of telling the story from western perspectives. But meanwhile, we are very curious to discover what happens there in China. For us, for Europe, China is very far."

The forum has gathered dozens of organizers of children's theatre festivals and also theater-making professionals from inside and outside China, discussing cooperation and the relationship between theatre festivals and host cities.

The forum is an integral part of the ongoing China Children's Theatre Festival, which will run until August 11th.