Beijing Comedy Theater will mark its second anniversary on July 16 by performing William Shakespeare's comedy The Merchant of Venice from July 11 to 30.

The theater is a joint operation with three partners - the National Center for the Performing Arts, DaDao Culture, which was founded by Chinese comedy actor and director Chen Peisi, and the venue itself.

"In this busy city, the theater brings laughs and energy to people living here. The past two years are the best proof that we were right to offer a specialized comedy theater to the public," says Chen, the artistic director of the theater.