2018 Theatertreffen debuts in China

The Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center will host Five Easy Pieces, a play starring children, as part of the Theatertreffen in China program from July 7 to 8.

Led by Swiss director Milo Rau, Five Easy Pieces features stories centered around seven children between the ages of 8 and 14 with Marc Dutroux, the notorious Belgian child molester and murderer.

The show is based on related documentary materials of interviews with the perpetrator's father, the victims' parents, a policeman's report, and a never-sent letter from a kidnapped girl to her parents, leading some to question whether children should perform in this drama.

Rau founded the theater and film production company International Institute of Political Murder, which focuses on documenting notable historical global events through films, literature, documentaries and research papers.

His theatrical works and films have been invited to some of the biggest national and international festivals including the Le Festival d'Avignon and the Berliner Theatertreffen.

According to Rau, the team has invited psychologists for the child actors and remains in close connection with their parents to prevent potential psychological damage.

The play has received remarkable reviews from critics since its first stage appearance in Brussels in May.

Christian Jade from the Radio Télévision Belge Francophone, the public broadcasting organization of the French Community of Belgium, referred to the play as "A performance that proves that distanced emotion is stronger than pathos. This is grand theater, human, sensitive, intelligent and political."

Theatertreffen was founded in 1964, and, along with France's Le Festival d'Avignon and Edinburgh's International Festival, it is one of the biggest in the world, held in May in Berlin every year.

The play will be performed in Dutch with Chinese subtitles.

If you go:
7:30 pm, from July 7 to 8. Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, No. 9 Tianqiao South Street, Xicheng district. 400-635-3355.
Tickets: 99-680 yuan ($15-100)