A poster of 2009 College Theater Festival [sina.com]

"Previous college theater festivals saw more expressions of personal sentiment," says Yang Qianwu, secretary-general of Beijing Drama Society and executive supervisor of the 2009 College Theater Festival.

"This year we see more dramas featuring the interactions of individuals and their immediate social surroundings."

Despite a flourishing college drama society scene and the lively college theater festival, the prospects for college dramas are not uniformly bright.

"Our problem is that we have no fixed rehearsal room and not sufficient funds. For instance, the money provided by the school is only sufficient for the return fare from Beijing. Hotel costs are scraped together by our Beijing alumni," says professor Gui Ying.

"We have an unwritten tradition that Black and White members donate money into the foundation after graduation. What's more, we have Black and White alumni associations around the country."

Cai Mingqi, a sophomore at Beihang University and in charge of Future Theater group, says it had just four members and no teacher when he took over last year.

"We rehearsed for two months after a recruitment drive, but produced nothing. Some members were absent-minded, others were simply at their wit's ends," Cai says.

"Things turned around after I got in touch with Cui Yan (founder of Future Theater). However, I still have to argue with the school authorities for rehearsal rooms and funds.

"Perhaps we have grounds to ask for more only after achieving something, like winning an award."

Almost without exception, college drama societies are confronted with problems of funding, rehearsal room space and securing teachers, who for the most part do it for free.

"So, why do we persist?" Gui Ying asks rhetorically, before answering with a smile: "Because drama is a group of people doing things that make them happy."

(China Daily August 20, 2009)