Beijing: Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater is set to expand its collaborative efforts with the National Theater of China. As part of a visit to China, Ilham Askerov, the Director of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater and an Honored Cultural Worker, met with Tian Qinxin, President of the National Theater of China, to discuss future cooperation between the two institutions.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the discussions centered around enhancing theatrical relations between Azerbaijan and China. Tian Qinxin acknowledged the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater’s initiative to collaborate with theaters across various Chinese provinces, including Gansu and Shandong, which have been formalized through signed memorandums.

The two parties explored plans to organize an exhibition on the history of Azerbaijani theater in Beijing and a corresponding exhibition on Chinese theater history in Azerbaijan. The proposal to conduct master classes at the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater was also on the agenda.

The meeting highlighted the importance of exchanging stage technologies, sharing professional experiences, providing technical support, and facilitating director and actor exchanges. Ilham Askerov emphasized that such collaborations foster cultural ties, preserve national spirit and theatrical traditions, and address contemporary global theatrical challenges.

Further cooperation will include staging one of Tian Qinxin’s plays at the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater. The play ‘A Dead Man Visits the Living’ by Shu Gang Liu has been translated and will be part of the theater’s repertoire in 2026. Additionally, performances from the Azerbaijani theater’s repertoire will be showcased in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, with plans for reciprocal touring exchanges.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to sign a memorandum of cooperation in Baku in June 2026, thereby solidifying the partnership between the two theaters.