Staging an anniversary

Directed by experimental theater creator Ruth Kanner, The Border Town, which opened on Thursday, is the first immersive theatrical production by Drum Tower West Theatre and will be staged in Shanghai to June 2 and in Beijing from June 13 to 16.

Set in Fenghuang county, an idyllic rural area in the far west of Hunan province, The Border Town follows a young woman named Cuicui, who lives with her grandfather. Her family makes a living operating a ferryboat across a river outside the small town of Chadong.

Cuicui, who is coming of age, begins to feel her first romantic love. However, while falling in love with a young man named Nuosong, Cuicui realizes that Nuosong's brother, Tianbao, also has feelings for her. She struggles to navigate between her love and family duties, and encounters doubts about the future.

Unlike in traditional theater, where audiences sit in rows and face the stage, the director lets the audience sit around the stage with actors and actresses performing in the center.