GITIS Acting faculty students took part in the international festival of the World Theatre Education Alliance (WTEA), held at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. GITIS was represented by the class of actor and director Alexey Blokhin, who also served as a member of the festival jury. The students presented their production of “A Very Simple Story.”
The festival brought together theatre schools from China, the UK, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Bulgaria, and the USA. Participants attended workshops on stage combat, dance, and Chinese opera, exchanged creative experiences, and performed their student productions for an international jury, which evaluated both the performances and individual acting work.
GITIS students performed Maria Lado’s “A Very Simple Story” with English and Chinese subtitles. Despite language and cultural differences, the production resonated deeply with the audience. After the show, the team held a multilingual discussion with spectators in Russian, English, and Chinese, exploring the play’s connection to this year’s festival theme — Dream and Love.
“We have a student from China, Siyu Pan, who has been a great help to us throughout this journey — both as a guide and as a mentor,” said student Viktoria Ufimtseva.
Following their success in Beijing, the group traveled to Guilin for the WTEA Awards Ceremony, where GITIS students Svetlana Kharitonova and Dmitry Gavrilov were named laureates.
As part of the Guilin International Arts Festival, the GITIS team once again performed “A Very Simple Story” — this time in a truly unique setting. Unlike the grand stage of the Central Academy, the Guilin performance took place outdoors, among mountains, caves, and rivers.
“It’s been an unforgettable experience,” said director Alexey Blokhin. “Performing surrounded by nature reminded us of theatre’s origins — when the stage was the world itself.”
