The 4th World Theatre Education Conference with 6th Asia Theatre Schools Festival was successfully held online (on the ATEC's website) from May 18 to 23, 2021. The event is hosted by Asia Theatre Education Centre (ATEC), organized by the Central Academy of Drama, China (the CAD), and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the PRC, as well as the International Theatre Institute (ITI).

    The opening ceremony of the 4th World Theatre Education Conference with 6th Asia Theatre Schools Festival was held at the Central Academy of Drama (Changping Campus) in Beijing at 9 a.m. of May 18 (GMT +8). Guests were invited to attend the ceremony and delivered speeches, and they were Mr. Lv Yuzhong (Level I Bureau Rank Official with Department of Arts, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the PRC), Mr. Tobias Biancone (Director General of ITI), as well as Mr. Hao Rong (Director General of ATEC, President of the CAD). Meanwhile, students, faculty members and scholars from different countries were invited to virtually attend the ceremony and watch the live broadcast. At the ceremony, Mr. Jaroslaw Fret (Director of the Grotowski Institute) and Dr. Sun Daqin (Assistant President of the CAD, Dean and Editor of Academic Journal Drama) delivered keynote speeches.

    Asia Theatre Education Centre was established in October, 2005 for the exchanges in and prosperity of theatre education in Asia. Every May, forums and theatre festivals are held. This year's event, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was held online. 30 videos of paper presentations and performances were shared to the public on ATEC's website, and ATEC's email was open for public opinions.

    The festival was themed as "Humanity in Ancient Greek Plays". Members schools had produced their plays under the theme and submitted the videos of the plays, including Antigone by the Central Academy of Drama (China), Electra, Orestes by Chung-Ang University (South Korea), Antigone on the Beach by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (China), Oedipus the King by Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema (Vietnam), Humanity in Ancient Greek Plays (Five Ancient Greek Plays) by National School of Drama (India), Antigone by Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music (Japan), Fall by College of Fine Arts, University of New Mexico (the USA), Rashomon by Lasalle College of the Arts, (Singapore), Oedipus the King by Mongolian National University of Arts and Culture (Mongolia), and Medea by New Era University College (Malaysia). The online theatre festival was a new platform for the exchanges on theatrical practices and education during the pandemic. It encouraged the theatre schools to face technical problems, and to be innovative. It has further enhanced the development of higher education of theatre in Asia.

                           Anti-Gone                                                                      Electra, Orestes by Department of Theatre

by the Central Academy of Drama, China                                                by Chung-Aung University, South Korea

Antigone on the Beach                                                                             Oedipus the King 

by the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, China                         by Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema, Vietnam

   Five Classic Greek Plays                                                                                    Antigone 

                by National School of Drama, India                                by TOHO Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Japan

                                         Fall                                                                                              Rashomon

            by College of Fine Arts, University of New Mexico, the USA                by Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore

 King Oedipus                                                                                       Medea

by Mongolian National University of Arts and Culture, Mongolia            by New Era University College, Malaysia