"I watched a video of Lin's play, Absolute Signal, when I was a student at the Beijing Film Academy. I didn't quite understand it but I love his artistic style," says Zhang. "To prepare for the role, I watched a video of the 1998 version of Three Sisters Waiting for Godot over and over again. And like Absolute Signal, the play is not easy to understand, but I have grown obsessed with the role. I've never performed in a play and it's totally a fresh experience. I could sense my growth as an actor during rehearsals, which is very exciting."

In 2013, Lin, along with theater producer Zhang Lifeng, launched If-Top Lin Zhaohua Theater Creation Center, which focuses on producing Lin's plays.

"Three Sisters Waiting for Godot was a pioneering experiment when Lin first presented it to the audience. Even after 20 years, the play is still challenging for both the actors and the audience," says Zhang Lifeng, who is the producer of the latest production of the play.

Born in Tianjin, Lin graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 1961 and is among the country's pioneering theater directors. From 1984 to 1998, he was deputy head of the Beijing People's Arts Theater, which was founded in 1952 and is known for plays such as Teahouse. Lin also gives lectures at Peking University and the Central Academy of Drama.

Lin is no stranger to controversy due to his distinctive, avant-garde style. He has adapted many Western works into Chinese plays, including Coriolanus, one of Shakespeare's less well-known plays, and Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.

In 2009, Wotou Compound, written by Liu Heng and directed by Lin, premiered at the Capital Theater and became an instant classic. The play, which depicts the lives of ordinary Beijingers to reflect social change, has been performed over 100 times since its premiere. In November, the play was staged again and performed by famous actors from the Beijing People's Art Theater including He Bing, Song Dandan and Xu Fan, which sold out fast.

In 2016, he premiered Dr Godot or Six People Searching for the 18th Camel, a joint directorial work by Lin and his son, Lin Xiyue, at the annual Wuzhen Theater Festival, in East China's Zhejiang province. Lin Xiyue will co-direct Three Sisters Waiting for Godot.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn