The Subtle Body by the Gold No Trade Theater Company from the US opens the festival. [Photo Provided to China Daily]

Dedicated to presenting the frontier of theater art in the contemporary world, SDAC keeps looking for "different subjects, expressions, crossover and physical theater productions" for the annual ACT festival, even though some of them may not be commercially successful, Yu says.

ACT has always been a public festival, not commercial initiative, he explains. A State-owned theater, SDAC receives a subsidy from the city for the festival every year. But the 200,000 yuan ($32,873) will only cover one-10th of the festival's cost.

"The box office income has continued to rise in recent years, but we are still struggling with financial difficulties," Yu says. Besides asking for support from official sources, Yu also calls on private sponsors for theater art.

"We don't have much money. As a State-owned theater company, we are obliged to introduce good shows from abroad. It's with the same mindset that we decided to take the zero-emission initiative," he says.

"We hope to raise awareness first among our own workers and audiences. They will pay attention to the energy consumption in their daily life and maybe do something to cut it down a little," says Cai Biye from SDAC, who is working on the zero emission project in collaboration with Emissions Zero, a carbon-neutrality company based in Shanghai.

"We think more theaters may follow us," Cai says. "After all, the idea is well established in many parts of the world."

If you go

The Subtle Body, by Gold No Trade from the U.S, Chinese and English dialogue, Chinese and English subtitles 7:30 pm, Nov 5,6, Shanghai Drmatic Arts Center-Drama Salon, 3F, 288 Anfu Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 150-280 yuan

Have a Good Day, by Operamanija from the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian dialogue, with Chinese and English subtitles 7:30 pm, Nov 19, 20, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center-Drama Salon, 3F, 288 Anfu Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 80 yuan

La Omissión de La Familia Coleman, by TeatroTimbre4 from Argentina, Spanish Dialogue, with Chinese and English Subtitles 7:30 pm, Nov 12, 13, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center-Drama Salon 3F, 288 Anfu Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 150-280 yuan

Anton’s Uncles, by Theater Movement Bazaar from the U.S, English dialogue, Chinese subtitle 7:30 pm, Nov 5-10, 2 pm, Nov 9, 10, 1933 Shanghai Micro Theater, 611 Liyang Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, 120-180 yuan

A Bowlful of Kindness, by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Cantonese Dialogue, Chinese Subtitles 7:30 pm, Nov 8, 9, 2:30 pm, Nov 9, 10, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center-Art Theater, 1F, 288 Anfu Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 150-300 yuan

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