Musical festival presents new works and cultivates talent

The Shanghai International Musical Festival raised its curtains at the Shanghai Culture Square this month.

Now in its sixth edition, the festival will continue to present an original Chinese musical showcase, a singing contest, a forum, and a musical cultivation project to nurture original Chinese musicals and talent.

Ti Gong

In the showcase session, four original Chinese musicals are set to wow audiences from March to April. They are: "Classic of Mountains and Rivers" (March 2), "Smash the Wall" (March 16-17), "I Want You" (March 23-24), "The City of Stars" (March 27-28), and "Rouge" (April 4-14).

Inspired by ancient Chinese myths, "Classic of Mountains and Rivers" discusses parent-child relationships and the search for the meaning of life.

"I Want You" describes the love between urban people and how they provide warmth to each other with the help of music.

"Rouge," adapted from Hong Kong writer Li Bihua's novel of the same name, centers on the love tangle between a social beauty and a rich young man.

"Smash the Wall" was born from Shanghai Culture Square's musical cultivation project in 2020. After two year's of producing and polishing, the musical debuted in May this year.

Launched in 2019, the Culture Square's musical cultivation project has already produced over 10 original musicals. Five of them have been introduced to the market.

Ti Gong

The public recruitment for this year's cultivation project starts this week. Those selected will be nurtured with the help of professionals through the year, and the best works will be showcased at a workshop by the end of next year to find investors.

A musical development forum has been scheduled for May, providing a communication platform for musical industry practitioners.