On December 8, the 2024 "Autumn IS" International Drama Season, hosted by the Yangpu District People's Government and organized by the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Yangpu District and Theatre YOUNG, wrapped up with the captivating Spanish play Cinco Horas con Mario.

The 2024 "Autumn IS" International Drama Season made a strong comeback, presenting 8 distinctive performances across 28 shows from the UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Spain, and China. Many of these productions were making their Shanghai and China debuts, delighting audiences with high-caliber lineups. Five of the performances were nearly sold out, drawing an estimated 16,000 theatre-goers.

Theatre YOUNG also ventured into boundary-breaking artistic interactions, partnering with universities, shopping malls, libraries, and other cultural venues to deliver 23 diverse events, including pre-show introductions, thematic salons, stage tours, master dialogues, and workshops. These events engaged over 4,000 participants in person and reaching an online audience of 100,000.

"A play I missed in Berlin, I found in Shanghai!"

The 2024 "Autumn IS" International Drama Season expanded its scope from 7 performances with 23 shows to 8 performances with 28 shows, and covered a diverse range of theatrical genres such as musicals, puppetry, physical theatre, spoken drama, monodrama, and poetry dance theatre. These productions, which address pressing social issues, offer a progressive aesthetic and a glimpse into the evolving trends of theatre, allowing Shanghai's audiences to experience a global selection of both renowned classics and the latest hits without leaving the city.

In mid-October, the 2024 "Autumn IS" International Drama Season opened with Jungle Book reimagined , a groundbreaking production choreographed and directed by Akram Khan, celebrated as the "first legend of the 21st-century dance world". This production transcends the boundaries of traditional dance, employing an innovative blend of audio-visual dance aesthetics to engage audiences in a reflection on the interconnectedness and flourishing of all life. The Nine presented their 2024 original work Alley-Oop, and the Armazém Companhia de Teatro's acclaimed Brás Cubas, which garnered praise at the Wuzhen Theatre Festival, also made their Shanghai debuts at Theatre YOUNG during this season. The festival featured rare performances by masters known to Chinese audiences, such as Eric de Sarria, the artistic heir to French visual theatre virtuoso Philippe Genty, who presented the visual puppetry play A Taste of Millefeuille, highlighting the romantic nuances in everyday objects with the poetic concept that "everything can be a puppet". Ten Thousand Tons of Moonlight marked the first foray into dance by renowned poet Yu Xiuhua, showcasing her transformation into a dancer, embodying the unquenchable vitality of resilient wild grass.

Among the most anticipated plays were two significant works from Germany's Schaubühne: Hamlet, a renowned masterpiece by Thomas Ostermeier who is hailed as the "voice of modern German drama", and Everywoman, a collaborative creation by top European director Milo Rau and Swiss actress Ursina Lardi. Hamlet, returning to China after a 9-year absence, sparked widespread discussion on social media on its opening night and was hailed as the best play of 2024. Every Woman delves into the profound meaning of "death" through nuanced and impactful stagecraft, offering a theatrical exploration of end-of-life care that moved audiences to tears.

The finale of this drama season, Cinco Horas con Mario, offers audiences the opportunity to experience an adaptation of the homonymous novel by Spanish author Miguel Delibes at a ticket price that is both accessible and affordable. Delivered as a powerful female monologue, the play addresses the evolving dynamics between the individual and marriage amidst the changes of the times.

The 2024 "Autumn IS" International Drama Season underscored Shanghai's allure as an emerging hub for the performing arts. Out of the 8 productions featured, 5 were making their Shanghai debut, 2 were premiering in China, and 1 was a world premiere. Theatre YOUNG, hosting several exclusive engagements, has been touched by the fervor of theatre enthusiasts who "journey to a city for a single play". Audiences from cities such as Beijing, Nanjing, and Hangzhou voiced their appreciation for the high-caliber productions brought to Theatre YOUNG. A spectator who traveled from Hong Kong to witness Hamlet said, "A play I missed in Berlin, I found in Shanghai!"

This autumn, unlocking the "Shanghai stories" of masters

The 2024 "Autumn IS" International Drama Season not only expands the geographical reach of art through a variety of performance styles and themes but also aims to transcend the confines of traditional theatres, amplifying the cultural impact of drama in Shanghai's urban life.

In 2024, Theatre YOUNG has organized 23 extension activities for the "Autumn IS" performance series, including pre-show introductions, thematic salons, stage tours, master dialogues, and workshops. A host of illustrious artists and companies have left their "Shanghai footprints" across the city, creating their own "Shanghai stories".

Dancers from Jungle Book reimagined engaged in physical workshops at New York University Shanghai; Lars Eidinger, the lead actor in Hamlet, dialogued with Prof. Li Shuangzhi from the Department of German, Fudan University on the innovative transition of Shakespeare's works from literature to the stage; Ursina Lardi, the lead actress in Every Woman, explored female narratives on stage and screen with "double film queen" Tao Hong at Shanghai Theatre Academy; Farooq Chaudhry, the director of Ten Thousand Tons of Moonlight, shared insights on cross-art collaboration from new perspectives at Shanghai Library East; Victoria Peña Hernando, the director of Cinco Horas con Mario, discussed the charm of Spanish literature with the audience at Yangpu Library, and the Chinese premiere of the play also featured a surprise collaboration with the People's Literature Publishing House's 99read for the debut of a new book of the same name, complete with an exclusive book cover; Armazém Companhia de Teatro partnered with Post Wave Publishing to present Machado de Assis's original The Realist Trilogy, enriching the pre-show experience for the audience; Eric de Sarria led a puppetry workshop for A Taste of Millefeuille, signifying the first visit of the French top-tier Philippe Genty Troupe's specialized workshop to Shanghai for scholarly exchange; "The Nine Autumn Poetry Gathering" of Alley-Oop infused Shanghai's autumn with a fitting poetic essence…

The 2024 "Autumn IS" International Drama Season introduced two groundbreaking initiatives that merged environmental consciousness with artistic expression, collaborating with Duozhuayu to advocate for resource recycling. The first involved the stage props of Jungle Book reimagined —creative cardboard boxes that were meticulously recycled, thus acquiring a new lease on life. The second initiative was the repurposing of 4.5 tons of soil used in the Hamlet performance, which was shipped from Germany and later reutilized through a unique "bring your own container" soil-digging event, which also enriched the audience's post-performance engagement.

Theatre YOUNG also introduced the "Autumn IS City Stroll Map" interactive stamp collection activity, garnering extensive acclaim. Throughout the event, over 1,000 participants eagerly collected stamps, with many returning towards the end of this activity to exchange their stamps for final rewards and proudly displaying their theatre cards on social media. These shared moments are a testament to the season's fruitfulness, symbolizing both the "fruits" of each theatrical production and the "fallen leaves" of each event.

Regarding ticket sales, the 2024 "Autumn IS" International Drama Season reached new heights in public welfare initiatives. Following the swift sell-out of the first and second rounds of "Shishi Vouchers", the theatre introduced "100 yuan or less affordable tickets" and "299 yuan lucky bags" covering 8 plays across 21 performances. These were made available in various community sub-districts and event venues across the district, extending an inviting "first theatre ticket of autumn" to a broader audience with genuine intent.

In recent years, Yangpu has been steadfast in embracing the people's city concept, committing to allocate the finest resources for the people and to serve them with the best offerings. The "Autumn IS" International Drama Season stands as a significant initiative in Yangpu's efforts to establish a model of a blessed city for its residents. With the success of two editions of the "Autumn IS" International Drama Season, this international cultural and artistic brand, meticulously crafted by Yangpu, has become a new focal point for Shanghai's theater-goers and has garnered widespread acclaim. Theatre YOUNG, in particular, has been lauded by many as the theatre with the highest quality of play selection in Shanghai", significantly enriching the cultural life of Yangpu.

Looking ahead, the "Autumn IS" International Drama Season will persistently deepen cultural connections within Yangpu, continue to uncover the artistic vibrancy of this youthful venue, and collaborate with top-tier artists and teams from around the world. Together, we will envision the countless possibilities of drama in urban cultural development, forging a resplendent artistic autumn with greater creativity.