Classic tale of revenge still fascinates

"By gathering the 17 young actors and actresses, the audience will see the new talent that will play a key role in the theater's future development," Feng adds, mentioning that the theater will see about 20 artists retire over the next two years, which will bring a period of transition.

"We didn't expect that our homework would be developed into a complete play," says Jin, who plays the role of Cheng in the new version of The Orphan of Zhao.

"The life of one child is sacrificed to save the life of another. It is very hard for me to understand and I discussed it with the director and other performers during the rehearsals," says Jin. "For the audience, they will get their own answers."

Jin and Zhou, both 34, were classmates when they were trained to become actors at the Central Academy of Drama. Both of them joined Beijing People's Art Theatre after graduation in 2011.

"From the outside, it's a tragic story about revenge, but what the audience will see and feel is love," says Zhou, who plays the role of Tu'an in the new play.