Photo provided to China Daily

The Toneelgroep from the Netherlands and South Korea's Michoo Theater will both present one-woman shows, with one actress playing up to 32 roles. Denmark's Odin Teatret will present Ode to Progress and Memoria.

In a tribute to mark Shakespeare's 450th birthday this year, the wickedly talented Reduced Shakespeare Com-pany from the US will present the hilarious production The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. The Company Theater Workspace from India will offer up a surprisingly simple version of the otherwise romantically magnificent Twelfth Night.

Wuzhen－a water town in Zhejiang province－is the perfect place to hold a festival, says the festival's artistic director Stan Lai.

The town boasts a range of theatrical spaces, such as courtyards and warehouses, in which productions can be staged.

Lai is also one of Taiwan's leading theater directors.

Performances aside, theater professionals from across the world are set to take part in discussions, master classes and workshops. This is what the festival was originally meant to be, says producer Ding Naichu －"a window for the East and West to see each other" and, more importantly, for knowledge to be exchanged.

In an effort to foster China's next generation of modern theater creators, the festival launched a Small Town Award last year, handing out prizes of up to 200,000 yuan ($32,200) to find talented young directors and actors.