The award is open to participants age 35 or younger. Entries are 40-minute plays on a given theme with only three props allowed. These works will be judged by a team of veteran directors, actors and critics, including China's avantgarde theater pioneer Meng Jinghui and actor Huang Lei.

This year, with an invisible door, a hat and an instrument, participants are encouraged to free their minds in their interpretation of "metamorphoses".

Last year, a team of visionary artists, including Lai and Huang, who directed his first TV series in Wuzhen, started the festival. It was an instant success, with an array of high-quality plays from home and abroad.

Wuzhen was home to a number of ancient scholars who became famous in China's literary and artistic world, and it is set to build on its legacy as a place to nurture creative minds as it becomes the hub of Chinese theater.

A "young artists in residence" program intends to invite artists to not only have their works performed during the festival but also to stay in Wuzhen and create original plays.

They are working to see the festival build a cultural legacy in the town, says Huang, meaning the town will be seeing cultural events year-round.

"I'm trying to push everyone to carry on this dream, to make this grand event a leg-end and then eventually a part of China's theatrical history. That's our goal," he says.