Shanghai's version of the Tony Awards honors local theater greats

Winners of the 2018 One Drama Awards, described as the local version of the Tony Awards, have been unveiled at the historical Majestic Theater in Jing’an District.

Twelve awards were handed out, including this year’s newly established award for outstanding contribution to Chinese theater, at the ceremony held Wednesday night. It was shared by acclaimed theater actors, 88-year-old Zhu Xu and 82-year-old Jiao Huang.

Other awards include play of the year, director of the year, playwright of the year, and the coveted best actor and best actress. They were selected from dramas staged in Shanghai between May 1, 2017, and April 30 this year.

Meng Bing, playwright of “Ordinary World,” the opening drama of this year’s Modern Drama Valley, was honored playwright of the year.

Play of the year went to “Gu Wenchang” and the play’s two leading actors, Xin Baiqing and Zhang Guoli, shared the best acting award.

Chen Shu, who played Ellida in a local adaptation of Ibsen’s play “The Lady from the Sea,” won the best actress.

Modern Drama Valley, Shanghai’s annual theatrical extravagance, was held from May 5 to 23 this year. It presented 17 productions from eight countries, 14 of which were Shanghai debuts.