The Wuzhen Theatre Festival, held annually in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, has long been known for its large-scale stage epics. Each year's opening production is a showpiece, often drawn from world-renowned theater companies.

Now in its 12th year, the festival is set to open with perhaps its most ambitious work yet. For the first time, an entire festival section — City of Humanity — will be devoted to a single production: Anthropolis-Marathon by the German troupe Deutsches SchauSpielHaus Hamburg.

Based on five Greek mythological tales — Dionysus, Laius, Oedipus, Jocasta, and Antigone — each run spans three days, totaling around nine hours. The production will be staged twice, giving more Chinese audiences a chance to experience it, while pushing the performers' stamina to the limit.

"This five-part series is considered a milestone in contemporary theater. It tells one of the most famous myths in the history of European civilization, which is the saga of the city of Thebes," said Meng Jinghui, artistic director of the festival, at a news conference on Aug 5.