Middle Kingdom Creatives Presents "Beijing Blitz"

If you have come to know me as the dedicated newsmonger of Middle Kingdom Creatives (MKC), dear reader, then that is good with me! Who wouldn't want to stay updated about the shenanigans of Beijing's beloved English-speaking theater crowd? By golly, they never stay quiet for long. Allow me to introduce you to Laurel Burns & co.'s newest brainchild: Beijing Blitz. And no, they won't be dropping any bombs on you, though you can expect some remarkable good times. 

As per usual, don't just take it from me – you know I do love me a good interview. I will leave you with the basic facts: Sep 27 at Jinshang Garden Theater (Beijing does shine in the fall, after all). Now, sit down with me and get the true scoop from Laurel!

Hey, Laurel, it seems like you guys are at it again, and we certainly won't complain about it. Beijing Blitz … intriguing. If I am not mistaken, the project is scaled in two phases. And there's some more practical info that we'd like to get right away, so that we can jump onto other questions. A full picture, if you will.
And a full picture I will get you! Beijing Blitz is going to be a ten-minute play festival, and we are extending a call to all theater lovers, all over China! Currently, we are at Phase 1, meaning we want you to send us your own original, unproduced play. The deadline is Aug 24, and there is an RMB 100 submission fee. All styles, genres and languages are welcome, and you can look forward to the announcement of the selected plays by Sep 1. That's when Phase 2 will begin, meaning you'll have to build your team and prep for the stage. 

Whoa, that really does look like your most ambitious event yet. All languages welcome? How will that work? And if anyone from anywhere in China can submit, what practicalities should they keep in mind?
We are a bit intimidated to see if folks take advantage of our language invitation! We have assembled a panel of "readers" whose sole job in this festival is to read the submitted scripts and score them according to a rubric we have created. As of now, our panel consists of only English speakers, but we are willing to search worldwide for more readers to accommodate all the languages of our participants!

We are accepting scripts from all over, but writers who submit should understand that if their script is selected, we hope they can jump into Phase 2 as well, helping oversee the production of their play.

I suppose there are some rules to observe…
Yes, though we hope they'll be easy to adhere to. Playwrights must be members of our festival's WeChat group to participate. Scan the QR code we're adding to this blog post or otherwise contact me directly if you want in (WeChat ID: laurelpalooza). The 12 featured plays will be chosen by a Reading Panel appointed by the Festival Committee, and we expect them to be original works produced by the playwrights themselves. No plagiarism, please!

Scripts should not exceed ten pages long (not including title page and character lists), and playwrights should use Times New Roman, 12-point font, standard spacing and margins. There's more, for sure, but I don't want to overextend myself, so join us over at the group for the full document! 

Awesome, thanks for clarifying. We're guessing all levels of experience are welcome, right?
Absolutely! As always, we are open to everyone from professionals to the stage-curious.

One concern does spring to mind. Suppose that I am a little shy, or maybe even new in town. I had my script accepted, but I've got no team of my own, and I don't know how to move around in Beijing. What to do? 
Fret not. If you do get selected, and need help with anything team related – finding your director, cast, even a rehearsal venue – just let us know, and MKC will be pleased as punch to help. After all, we've been doing this for a while already. Consider it our own contribution to this big collaborative project that we want to become something truly unforgettable, and just focus on getting ready for the Blitz!

Now that's the spirit. And about the non-refundable submission fee… 
There's a purpose to it: Every RMB goes to help cover production costs, venue rental and other festival essentials. We did try our best to keep the submission fee reasonable, so that hopefully nobody will feel excluded due to monetary concerns. And I really can't stress enough that we're so very grateful to the community for your constant support. It's a big factor behind our constant effort to push ourselves to new accomplishments and projects. It's been there from the beginning, and MKC wouldn't be where we are today without our audience, actors, creatives and volunteers. It really isn't something to be taken for granted. 

Aww. Okay, so I am so curious: Where did the inspiration for this come from?
So, we owe this all to David, our stage manager extraordinaire for the past few shows. He proposed this kind of hybrid between a competition and a festival, drawing from his own past experience in South Korea. He has the best memories about how amazing the whole experience was for the community there, so we figured it was time to export it to Beijing, too! 

The recent edition of the Inkwell 24 Hour Theatre Festival in Shanghai was also rather decisive. That was last March, and I am honored to say that we walked away with the top awards: Best Play, Best Actress and Audience's Choice. And we actually just came back from Shanghai again a couple of weeks ago, where we performed our recent production of No Exit, and we joined a local theater group called Bloomworks for a collaborative show.  Our Shanghai shenanigans in 2025 echo those we've had in previous years, so all in all, we felt that it was our time to come up with a festival of our own that would allow us to build creative bridges between communities in Beijing and in other cities. And Beijing Blitz was born!

You're also giving a generous time window to anyone considering submitting…
We took our own time to be ready to cast this challenge, so why would we rush others to come up with something excellent themselves? Particularly now that we're accepting submissions from all over China. We just want people from all backgrounds and levels of experience to take their time, do their best and have a go at it! And the key here is to have fun while doing so. 

Are you hoping for any ideal balance to genres? Perhaps the perfect drama-to-comedy ratio? 
We are hoping to find the full spectrum of play genres! And for the audience's enjoyment, hopefully, a balance between comedy and drama. We will also be rewarding performances in both comedic and dramatic roles. 

You mentioned before that newbies are more than welcome to apply, which I find great because sometimes what one lacks in experience is balanced out in terms of enthusiasm, creativity and ingenuity. That being said, facing a blank page can feel scary and daunting. So what would be your advice to handle the challenge appropriately and still have fun? 
A ten-minute play can be challenging because of the time limit, but remember that theater – drama – is a reflection of life. So, instead of writing a play about a huge epic world and massive journey, it may just be a glimpse at a meaningful moment of life. Remember, plays should be (pardon the all caps) PLAYABLE, with characters that actors can relate to and dialogue that allows those characters to get what they want.

Beijing Blitz will be taking place on Sep 27 at JinShang Garden Theater. The deadline for submitting plays is Aug 24, and you can learn more by scanning the QR code in the poster above to join the dedicated group chat or by contacting Laurel directly (WeChat ID: laurelpalooza). 

READ: Three Things for the Week Ahead in Beijing (Jul 7-13)

Images: courtesy of Middle Kingdom Creatives