[Photo provided to China Daily]

Since then, theater lovers have been arriving in droves, sometimes as early as the afternoon, where the adjacent cafe, Empty Cup Coffee, offers a bohemian environment for idle chat on the serious art of drama, surrounded by rows of books and wall-to-wall posters of the performing arts.

The DrumTower West Theater, tucked away in a traditional alleyway, has become a favorite hangout for the city's young, hip and theatrically aspiring.

Meanwhile, Li attributes her choice of repertory style to a later offering, How I Learned to Drive. Not only was she fascinated by the work itself, with its subtle depiction of the suspicious relationship between an uncle and his teenage relative, but she enthused about Paula Vogel, the writer who came to Beijing and gave a mesmerizing lecture.

For her production of The Censor, a 1997 British play, to mark the theater's two-year anniversary, Li has turned to crowd sourcing.

Ten of her friends joined in, including many media professionals who are fans of theater and her venue in particular.

"The biggest challenge in running such a house is the limited resources that can be put into promotion," says Li.

Chinese theater goers are accustomed to big-house shows that run for a couple of nights, but for an extended run that lasts 20-30 days she needs people who can spread the word to a larger clientele base.

"I learn something from every play I've done," says Li.