About the Huichang Theatre Village

The Huichang Theatre, Village is south of the traditional Jiangnan, “South of the river,” far away from the noise of the city, in a unique position in the ancient “Northwest Street” section of Huichang town, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China. It is one of the unique scenic spots in the south of Jiangxi province, a place to get away from it all. Around the town are the Mount Lan, and the three rivers, Gong River, Xiang River, and Mian River, that cross through and around the town, creating a special ecology with green belts. The ancient city wall from the Song Dynasty runs for almost 1000 meters along the riverside, and protects the town from the water. Over 1000 years of history includes migrations, and the settling of a special Hakka culture that can be seen in ancient residences, left behind from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, along with ancient tablets that recount history of bygone days.

The father of noted Chinese playwright and director, Stan Lai, Lai Chia-chiu, was born here. In 1947 he left for a diplomatic career that sent him to America, and he never thought that after leaving, he would never return home. In the 1980s, Stan Lai received his first letter from home, plus a photograph, that initiated Stan and his brother Robert on a quest to regain their past in Huichang, and to eventually bring theatre back to their father’s hometown. From bringing plays back to Lai’s hometown, to letting the students from Huichang go to Shanghai and intern at Lai’s Theatre Above, the kernel of theatre began to be planted in Huichang, a kernel that would grow into the Theatre Village.

Through the vision and efforts of all relevant leaders at the provincial, municipal, and county levels, through the brilliance of the urban planning of master architect John Yang, over the years, plus the efforts of the Theatre Above team, and the Huichang County team, the project has come to fruition as the Huichang Theatre Village, and the first Theatre Season. The Theatre Village will officially open its doors on January 5, 2024. Traditionally a town known for literary luminaries, Huichang will now become a center for theatrical activity. Stan Lai and his team have reimagined the ancient town, creating performance spaces in a special cultural ecology. He has used a lightbulb as an image for the village, as a symbol of lighting up Huichang town, lighting up the spark of creativity and the light of wisdom in every person’s heart. The two ancient banyan trees in the courtyard in the plaza are both over 300 years old. They have been named Gnosis and Sophia. They have been witnessed to the burgeoning of centuries of culture; they have been protectors of generations of life. The ancient houses that have been renovated that remain in the town have become centers for their stories to continue.

The Huichang Theatre Village has strived to keep the original town plan, while creating four performance spaces within the town, each different in character. Theatre Converge, a fully equipped theatre for over 300 audience was built from the remains of an old printing house. The Courtyard Theatre has been adapted from an ancient family shrine, while keeping all the markings of activities of recent decades. Two houses on the main plaza have been transformed into The Open Space, an experimental theatre, and The Factory, a large rehearsal space that can also be a performance space. The Wisdom Square is one of many outdoor spaces with limitless possibilities, including the Lai Family Mansion Plaza, the Right Angle Plaza, and the century old Pagoda Stage. Along the riverside, which has nurtured so much life, theatre can be seen everywhere. It is hoped that all of these diverse performance spaces will inspire artists to create new works. The Theatre Village has established an Artist-in-Residence Program, and a Residency Program for Original Plays in Little Theatre. These plans will cross borders, languages, cultures, and create a network of artists to inspire and connect the theatre culture of the world.

Aside from aspiring to create new theatre spaces, the Huichang Theatre Village has also established the Hesheng Technical Theatre School within its boundaries, the first school in China to exclusively train technical theatre personnel. The school is a comprehensive training ground for technical theatre, and will produce professional technical personnel on an international level, becoming an important source of support for the burgeoning theatrical scene in China. Theatre Training Above Center, established by Stan Lai in Shanghai, also has its branch in the Theatre Village, and has its goal of training people with no training, using the art of theatre to open oneself up to one’s own life and creative possibilities.