Theater director Wang Cong

Wang Chong, founder and artistic director of Beijing-based performance group Théâtre du Rêve Expérimental, is the leading force of Chinese experimental theatre. Born in Beijing in 1982, he received his bachelor’s degree in law from Peking University before studying theater at University of Hawaii and University of California, Irvine. In 2008, Wang founded Théâtre du Rêve Expérimental. In 2012 he launched the Chinese New Wave Theater Movement by presenting a series of new performances employing innovative use of live video and sound creation with live editing.

Wang’s works have been invited to festivals worldwide, including: Israel Festival, Singapore International Festival of Arts, Adelaide OzAsia Festival, Taipei Arts Festival, Festival/Tokyo, Toga Asian Theater Directors Festival, Seoul Asian Theater Directors Festival, Rotterdam Festival de Keuze, and Oslo International Ibsen Festival. His productions include: The Warfare of Landmine 2.0, which won the 2013 Festival/Tokyo Award; Thunderstorm 2.0, noted by The Beijing News as one of the “Best 10 small theater works in China from 1982 to 2012”; Ibsen in One Take, recognized by Literary Life Weekly as one of the top 10 performances in China in 2012, among others.

Wang also translated and directed Chinese premieres of Heiner Müller’s “Hamletmachine,” Peter Handke’s “Self-Accusation,” Roland Schimmelpfennig’s “The Arabian Night,” Sarah Kane’s “Crave,” Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues,” Woody Allen’s “Central Park West,” and Nick Payne’s “Constellations.” Wang has led New Wave Theater workshops in Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Ireland.
Wang is recognized by The Beijing News as “Experimental Artist of Year 2012.” He received a Saison Foundation Fellowship in 2015, an Asian Cultural Council Fellowship in 2013 and Han Suyin Award for Young Translators in 2007.