HANGZHOU, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The 12th Wuzhen Theater Festival raised the curtain Thursday evening in the ancient water town of Wuzhen in Zhejiang Province, east China, bringing together hundreds of thousands of theatrical fans.

This year's festival, which runs until Oct. 26 under the theme of "swirling up," features 25 specially-invited plays from 10 countries and regions, 18 plays competing in the emerging theater artists' competition segment, as well as dialogues, theater workshops, reading sessions, and outdoor carnivals.

The theatrical play "Anthropolis-Marathon," presented by the German theater Deutsches SchauSpielHaus Hamburg and featuring five Greek mythology tales, has attracted great attention and further promoted in-depth dialogue between eastern and western drama cultures.

Chen Xianghong, one of the co-founders of the festival, noted that the Wuzhen Theater Festival has adhered to an international perspective of diversity and inclusiveness, committed to cultivating a young talent system since its launch in 2013. ■