Back home and we’re already planning our next trip to Beijing. We’ve been invited by the British Council to run a 100 Words workshop during an international Youth Forum that will take place in Beijing during the Paralympic Games. The Youth Forum is part of the British Council led initiative, Young Advocates Programme – Developing the Paralympic Spirit, which aims to develop an international legacy for the Paralympic Games in Beijing this year, London in 2012 and beyond. Up to 250 Young Advocates from mainland China, Hong Kong and the UK will gather together in September to take part in skills workshops, engage in discussion and attend events in the Paralympics Games including the Opening Ceremony in the ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium on 6 September. The Youth Forum is part of the official Cultural Olympiad for the Paralympic Games and we’re both delighted and honoured to be taking part, particularly given the fact that 100 Words was originally inspired by language learning initiatives launched by the Beijing Municipal Government in response to its success in bidding to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Young Advocates Programme will continue beyond 2008, with participants taking on volunteer leadership roles in their communities in order to raise awareness of social inclusion, diversity and equality. We’re looking forward to continued involvement.

The final few days in Beijing were extremely busy, preparing for the 100 Words showcase at 9 Theatre and then supporting the National Youth Theatre’s performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. Friday and Saturday morning were spent faciliciating the plays written by the Beijing Dramatists Association group. These were directed and performed by the workshop participants, with Natasha and Tristan providing guidance and showing how ideas might be extended. One or two plays had been rewritten over the course of the week and we had a good selection to showcase. On Saturday afternoon, they were shown to an invited audience at 9 Theatre. It was a very successful performance and an appropriate end to a highly successful week. We’re looking forward to continuing and extending our collaboration with Yang Qianwu and Beijing Dramatists Association in the future.

On Saturday evening we went to the National Centre for the Performing Arts to watch the premiere of the National Youth Theatre’s production of the Merchant of Venice. It had been a tense couple of days for the company, with very limited technical time, but all had come together in time for an open dress rehearsal on Saturday afternoon and the performance on Saturday evening was excellent. It was completely sold out so we ended up watching the show from the lighting box (it was quite a party up there). A huge amount of work had been put in by so many people to get to this moment and it felt a real achievement to see the young British and Chinese actors on the stage.

A very late night was followed by an early morning visit to Tiananmen Square to see the flag raising ceremony along with thousands of mainly Chinese tourists. Saturday had been a gloriously sunny day and it looked to be going the same way on Sunday. It was extraordinary to see so many people up so early and to share a moment with them. The rest of the day was relaxed and included a lovely conversation over tea with Zhu Changbing, who had looked after the National Youth Theatre company during the week, as well as a couple of hours at Houhai, soaking up the sunshine beside the lake. We then returned to the NCPA in the evening to see the second and final performance of the Merchant of Venice. There was another packed house and the audience really appreciated and understood the play. The company then went out for a Beijing duck dinner, hosted by the China International Youth Arts Festival. Madame Zhai from the Ministry of Culture, who had been assigned to oversee the Festival was extremely enthusiasitc about the performance and invitations have been extended to the National Youth Theatre by both the Ministry and the NCPA to return to China.

On Thursday evening we brought together the National Youth Theatre actors and the Beijing Dramatists Association workshop participants in an informal performance at 9 Theatre. The Chinese participants showed four 100 word plays that had been written earlier in the week; the British actors then performed several 100 word plays that had been rehearsed with Natasha previously. Both groups performed versions of ‘Chorus Line’, written by Aled Roberts in the National Youth Theatre/Soho Theatre week in 2006. It’s a fantastic play. In the English version, extracts from well known Hollywood and West End musicals are sung by an over enthusatic chorus line, hired by parents of a teenage boy, James, to ‘bring him out of himself’. The Chinese performaers did their own version, using well known Chinese songs and army tunes. Both performances were excellent. The evening was also used to showcase two Chinese plays from the online creative writing competition – ‘My World’ and ‘Struggle’. ‘My World’ was performed first by the National Youth Theatre and then reinterpreted with Chinese actors playing the two leads. ‘Struggle’ combined both casts, with an underscore developed earlier in the day with the BDA workshop participants added to the piece. It was a very special moment seeing the British and Chinese casts come together, watched by the Chinese actors who are involved in the Merchant of Venice.

On Wednesday evening, British Council Beijing kindly hosted a reception for 100 Words and the National Youth Theatre. It took place at Neverland Coffee Bar, a very chic and relaxed venue with a screen installation by artist Shu-Min Lin. We brought all the Beijing Dramatists Association participants along while the National Youth Theatre brought the 10 Chinese artists they have been working with. As well as speeches, there was an interactive moment when we all sent texts of a word or words close to our heart to a Chinese mobile number – moments later, the words snaked down the screen (mine included creativity, imagination, adventure, passion and baizi). The winning films from the two online competitions run in China and the UK in partnership with the National Youth Theatre, BBC Blast, SOHU.com and the British Council were also screened along with some showreels of the National Youth Theatre’s work. It was a great chance for the National Youth Theatre members to see another side of Beijing and to connect with others involved in the contemporary arts scenes in China, as well as marking an exciting week of exchange and creativity for both organisations.

It’s day two of the 100 Words workshop at 9 Theatre. We’ve got a great bunch of young writers/actors/directors – committed, focused, inventive and giving. Yesterday we started off in a mini-opera theatre – a stunning red room complete with a tiny stage and balconies. Tristan Parkes, who has a background in music as well as teaching performing arts and creative writing, has joined us for the week and is introducing some different elements into the workshop. Today we’ve been in the SARS studio space focusing on writing and language. By the end of the day we had nine 100 word plays. In the evening, Natasha worked with the National Youth Theatre actors, who’ve been spending the week at the China Coal Performing Arts Centre rehearsing the Merchant of Venice. On Thursday we’re bringing everyone together for a celebration of 100 Words. We rounded off the night with a late night dash to Song Bar on the other side of town.

It’s a gloriously sunny Sunday morning and the National Youth Theatre company have just landed in Beijing. Tom has gone to meet them in the company bus and I’m just about to meet Yang Qianwu to go over arrangements for our workshop this week. We’ve had a productive couple of days preparing for the forthcoming week. Paul’s rehearsals with the Chinese actors have gone extremely well – they’re a very talented bunch with a completely different physicality to British actors. Wang Zhan, an MA student at the Central Academy of Drama who has helped to source the actors, has been working alongside the group and is a real find. He will be operating the surtitles for the Merchant of Venice so is an essential part of the team. On Friday night, Zhan came with us to the National Centre for the Performing Arts to see a concert (conducted by Cai Jindong, Artistic Director of the China Internatinal Youth Arts Festival) and dance performance. The building looks amazing at night. After the performance we battled torrential rain to cross town for a delicious Taiwanese dinner at Bellagio’s. Yesterday we all went our different ways – Paul ended up deep in the countryside looking at the Merchant of Venice set, Tom was out trying to buy props including a Beijing bicycle and a coffin (impossible to get in Beijing) while I stayed local and after working for much of the day, met a friend and walked around the local area. It’s a very old and fascinating neighbourhood. After catching up and comparing notes, we ended the day with dinner at a Korean barbecue restaurant – we weren’t quite brave enough to try Ox’s brain or dog. Perhaps next time.

It’s another humid and steamy morning in Beijing and I’ve just been out for a 6am jog. The streets surrounding the hotel near Tiantan Park are busy with people cooking breakfast and buying fresh vegetables. It’s going to be another hot day. I arrived yesterday to temperatures of over 30 degrees – a real contrast to my last visit to Beijing in January. I went straight to the rehearsal room where Paul Roseby, Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre, was working with 10 young Chinese actors. They will form part of the ensemble for the Merchant of Venice. It was then off to the designer to finalise the programme – this took most of the afternoon, not least due to the designer’s office being in the far south west of the city. Lunch was a Chinese KFC eaten in the car. We stayed local last night – there are just three of us here at the moment including Tom, the Assistant Stage Manager and National Youth Theatre member. The rest of the company arrive on Sunday. Today will be spent visiting the British Council and spending some time in rehearsals. I’m also hoping to speak to Yang Qianwu from Beijing Dramatists Association to finalise arrangements for next week’s workshop.