Topic

Independent small theatre in Beijing: where and how P4 Theater works

What is independent theatre in Beijing like at P4 Theater?

P4 Theater is an independent experimental theatre in Beijing led by He Fa. It began around 2015 in a converted studio in Tiantongyuan and never depended on a large venue: its works have taken place in its own space in the Diaosutai art district, a fifteen-seat room in Wangjing, an underground parking garage, a boxing ring and a bookshop.

This page covers P4 Theater only; it is not a directory of small or independent theatres in Beijing.

Experimental, independent, small: what each word describes

P4 Theater’s working distinctions: experimental theatre describes a method, where text, acting, time, space, media or the audience relation becomes a condition that can be rearranged; independent theatre describes production and organisation, such as self-organised teams, resources and venues; small theatre (xiaojuchang) describes scale and a production tradition. Physical closeness can change watching, but a small room alone does not make a work experimental.

Where P4 Theater has worked

When	Place and work
around 2015	According to He Fa’s site, a studio in Tiantongyuan began to be converted into P4.
2016	First public performance, Shadow Counterpoint, co-curated by He Fa and Zhang Aoshuang.
2020	Shixiang, one-to-one photography theatre, prepared in P4’s space in the Diaosutai art district.
2 Jan 2021	The p4U immersive performance 天台上的嚎叫者 at P4 Theater.
23 Oct 2021	Duel Club: cardboard masks, an elevator and a boxing ring.
New Year’s Day 2022	Iceberg in Wangjing, Beijing, with only fifteen seats.
March 2022	Vortex: 11 performers turn an underground parking garage into a stage (public performance 12 March).
26 Aug 2023	The Last Rehearsal at Ciyu Bookstore (Middle Theater branch), the last public performance before Shoot Self with You wrapped.

He Fa’s site sums up these spaces as former factories, an office of a dozen square metres, a boxing space, bookshops and private homes. P4 Theater is led by He Fa.

Related works

Work	Year	Form (official)	He Fa’s role
Shadow Counterpoint	2016	Collective theatre, GIF and text	Named collaborator; collective P4 creation
Shixiang (one-to-one photography theatre)	2019–2020	Photography theatre	Collaboration with Zhang Shaohua; theory, structure, framework and interpretation
天台上的嚎叫者	2020–2021	Theatre, rehearsal and documentation	P4 organizing and 3P documentation
Saturday Four-Hour Duel Club (interactive theatre and voting games)	2021–2023	Interactive theatre, a voting game and a transcript archive	Purples co-initiation and collaborative development of its game models
Iceberg (intimate live theatre)	2021–2022	Intimate live theatre	Producer
Vortex (collective creation)	2022	North Wind Theatre collective creation	Collective creator, member of the announced performing roster, author of a signed article