Of the many such theaters in vibrant Beijing, Li Yangduo's is not the best located. But she has carved a niche with a repertory that can be called adventurous in this city where new productions are in the hundreds every year.
At the second anniversary of the opening of DrumTower West Theater, Zhuo Bieling, a female writer and critic, recounted an anecdote about the time when her friend Li Yangduo gave her a screenplay. Li was considering bankrolling the project and wanted Zhuo's expert opinion. But Zhuo threw it into a drawer and forgot about it.
The project turned out to be Black Coal, Thin Ice, which won the Golden Bear at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival.
Li did not invest in it.
"The film industry's loss was the drama circle's gain," says Zhuo to groans from the audience.
Li is the money and mastermind behind DrumTower West Theater, a 240-to-290-seat venue that used to be a derelict rehearsal hall for a State-owned performing arts organization.
Of the many such "small theaters" in the theatrically vibrant city of Beijing, hers is not the best located. But she has carved a niche with a repertory that can be called adventurous even in this city where new productions are in the hundreds every year.
Still, Li calls herself a novice in the business.
For about seven years, Li was a Guangzhou-based producer and distributor of television dramas and TV movies.
Her first significant exposure to theater was Stan Lai's The Village, a 3.5-hour epic about the mainland diaspora in Taiwan. She later dipped her toes in this part of showbiz by becoming a local presenter for some of Lai's shows.
Six years ago, Li moved north to Beijing, unarguably the epicenter of China's theater creativity.
"I watched lots of plays here. Many were warm and uplifting, but I wanted something that was thought-provoking, something that shed light on the dark corners of humanity," Li tells China Daily.
She picked Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman as the opening salvo, directed by Zhou Ke, a promising talent with a flair for staging uncompromising fare.
