Hello and welcome to  Voices from Other Lands on China Radio International. I'm your host Zhou Jing.

If you think Shakespeare and his plays dating back hundreds of years no longer appeal to young audience nowadays, you are wrong. Every evening, students of Peking University gather together to read a few lines and role-play Shakespeare's classics. They are coached by Joseph Graves from the States, who is currently the artistic director of the Peking University's Institute of World Theatre and Film.

Prior to his job in China, Joseph spent his professional life as a director, writer and actor for theatre and film in Great Britain and America where he directed and performed in over 50 Shakespearean productions. He first came to China in 2002 and helped Beida's students stage one of Shakespeare's works, "The Tempest". It was then that he fell in love with his students and their commitment to theatre. Earlier, I spoke to Joseph Graves who talked about his latest stage production and his experiences in China. Also joining in the talk is Hu Xiaoqing, who graduated from Peking University with dual B.A. in English and Art. Xiaoqing is now a theatre director and playwright working in China and the US.

You are listening to  Voices from Other Lands. I'm Zhou Jing. Joining me today is Joseph Graves from the United States and Hu Xiaoqing from China who share a passion for theatre. Time for a short break and we'll be right back.

Welcome back. You are still listening to  Voices from Other Lands on China Radio International. I'm Zhou Jing. My guest today is Joseph Graves, the artistic director of the Peking University's Institute of World Theatre and Film and Hu Xiaoqing, a theatre director.

Founded in 2005, the institute has produced dozens of English plays including Shakespeare's King Lear and Henry V and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Most of the cast were students at Peking University. The Peking University's Institute of World Theatre and Film and Joseph's work here aims to promote performing arts study in Chinese higher education which is considered indispensable in developing a fully-rounded liberal arts education. And to students involved in the initiative, what they've obtained is not only performing skills and the chance to be on stage, but also inspiration for future studies and their lives at large.

That was Joseph Graves and Hu Xiaoqing sharing with us their passion for theatre.

With that we come to the end of this week's  Voices from Other Lands. To listen to today's show or our previous editions, please visit crienglish.com. If you have any comments or suggestions, drop us an email at voices@cri.com.cn. From Beijing, I'm Zhou Jing. Hope you join me again same time next week for another edition of Voices from Other Lands. Goodbye!