Capital city ready to host world's first 3D stage show

Witnessing a first occurrence of anything in human history is rare and for something to happen first in Beijing is also a feat that is hard to fathom.

Yet, on Sept 2, the action-musical, Terracotta Warriors 3D, will open at the Da Yin Theater in Beijing and will be the first 3D theatrical performance in the world.

No other show has ever combined 3D set design, high definition 3D motion pictures and a troupe of live-action performers on stage.

The Terracotta Warriors show on tour in North America.

The 3D theatrical production will be made possible by the use of a high-definition LED video wall that will give the audience a 3D viewing experience using common polarized 3D glasses.

The new technology was created, manufactured and patented in China by Li Chao, a professor at Zhengzhou University.

Terracotta Warriors 3D is expected to immerse the audience in an entertainment experience that has never been attempted before on stage.

The unprecedented theatrical concept is made possible by both the creative and financial resources of Sight, Sound & Action, a theatrical production company headquartered in the United States in Denver, Colorado.

Dennis Law, CEO and president of the company, said he selected the subject of the terracotta warriors for their global reputation and a symbol that can be understood by foreigners.

He said his latest show would set new standards for theatrical art direction and was a result of multi-cultural collaboration across the Pacific Ocean.

Terracotta Warriors 3D is a meaningful and engaging story of love, power and transformation.

It tells the tale of Emperor Qin Shihuang, the first emperor in China to found a country in 221BC. The story is told in a non-traditional manner as the audience sees the monarch through the eyes of the emperor's famous eunuch, Zhao Gao.

Castrated by the emperor who was his childhood best friend, Zhao Gao served his master in a faithful but conflicted way. He witnessed the Qin emperor's powers and weaknesses, his loves and his fears, his cruelty and his human frailties.

Finally, it was the emperor's sudden and unexpected death that allowed Zhao Gao to be freed from his emotional and spiritual bondage and he transformed into a new man.

The show is expected to be a unique and thrilling journey through musical theater.

Law welcomes people to watch Terracotta Warriors 3D and to be one of the first to experience the unique event in Beijing.

"After all, in a place as unlikely as China, when would you ever get another invitation to be part of something that has never been seen before in human history?" he said.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn