P4 TheaterP4 Theater
Initiated in Beijing · Since 2015

P4 Theater

Theatre · Film · Artistic practice

Theatre into everyday life.
From watching to making together.

P4 Theater is an independent experimental theatre initiated in Beijing and led by He Fa, working across performance, moving image and collaborative practice.

Explore projects & peopleRead articles & field notes
P4 Theater entrance and handwritten sign, Beijing, 2020
P4 Theater entrance and handwritten sign, Beijing, 2020. P4’s space and history
01

Projects, made by people

A film, a one-to-one encounter, performances and collaborative actions. Each record names its initiators, participants and relationship to P4.

Explore all projects, credits and source records
02

Read the practice, in people’s words

Four ways into the archive: history, project formation, participation and reflection. Publication dates distinguish historical records from current activity.

01
Start with P4

P4 Theater, ten years

Trace P4’s beginnings, open calls and project connections through its ten-year account.

· Publication: p4剧场
Read article
Search every article
03

Beyond a single stage

P4’s ecology grows as participants initiate projects, collaborate, record their processes and bring theatre into everyday life.

Theatre hub, first-session photographs. Published by p4剧场和你, 23 November 2022; the article does not identify the photographic date.
Theatre hub, first-session photographs. Published by p4剧场和你, 23 November 2022; the article does not identify the photographic date. Source article

P4 / CO-CREATION

Initiate. Participate.
Make connections.

The archive distinguishes project incubation, shared spaces and later collaborations. Each collective keeps its own initiators and history.

Explore the co-creation archive158 Fourth Log video records
04

About P4 Theater

P4 Theater is an independent experimental theatre initiated in Beijing and led by He Fa, working across performance, moving image and collaborative practice.

Its records connect performance, photography, film and writing through the people who initiate and take part. Project pages explain what happened, who was involved and which sources establish the account.

04

Stay connected with P4

Watch films, read the writing, or contact P4 about screenings, research and collaboration.

Email563073224@qq.com
WeChat · p4theater03
Public contact details
Follow films and writingGuide to the works
Posters & Purple Action documents6 poster / scene pairs · 16 Purple Action images
↳

Posters & live scenes

Six sets of project materials: posters, performance photographs, stage footage and document images. Each set leads to its original record.

Displace · poster or source document
Displace · project record

Displace

Written and directed by 不折. The poster announces 15 August 2020 at 19:30 at P4. The accompanying stage clip is not assigned to a specific performance session.

Explore the project record
Cocoon · poster or source document
Cocoon · participant close-up from the interviews

Cocoon

Dance theatre directed by Huang Yiyin, performed at P4 on 31 October 2020. The poster is paired with a participant close-up from the interviews, not a stage-performance photograph.

Explore the project record
Purple Action · Project and Mechanisms · poster or source document
Purple Action · Project and Mechanisms · project record

Purple Action · Project and Mechanisms

Start with the parent project: its introduction, Final Solution, Duel Club, Colosseum and CCTV. Documents, rules, proposals, announcements and scenes retain source and date distinctions. Project material © P4 Theater. The scene matches page6 of the introduction; its session, capture date and photographer remain unverified.

Explore the project record
Kill the Rose · poster or source document
Kill the Rose · project record

Kill the Rose

An interactive musical presented through P4U, directed by 刘子洛, with documentation by the 3P group. The performance poster and creative-team photograph relate to 12 June 2021 at P4.

Explore the project record
↳

Purples: documents & mechanisms

Documents describe the project’s 2021 reworking. Materials for the parent project, Final Solution, Duel Club and CCTV are kept in separate groups.

Open 16 source materials, with classification and provenance

Parent project documents

Page1 of Purples: Project Introduction, with the Purples symbol and the original project title. A document cover for the parent project.
Page1 of Purples: Project Introduction, with the Purples symbol and the original project title. A document cover for the parent project.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 1The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
Page4, Project Overview. The document identifies Shen Bolun’s 2019 Colosseum as the predecessor and a 2021 reworking by the Purples group. The background is retained as part of the page, not separately labelled as a 2021 event photograph.
Page4, Project Overview. The document identifies Shen Bolun’s 2019 Colosseum as the predecessor and a 2021 reworking by the Purples group. The background is retained as part of the page, not separately labelled as a 2021 event photograph.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 4The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. The predecessor, 2021 reworking and reproduced document page remain distinct. The background image has no independently verified photographic date or attribution.
Page8, File Archiving. Numbered ballot forms appear in the document’s account of recording and archiving moving images, text, images and objects. This is not an independently verified vote count.
Page8, File Archiving. Numbered ballot forms appear in the document’s account of recording and archiving moving images, text, images and objects. This is not an independently verified vote count.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 8The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
Page12, Organisations in Purples. The chart is shown as the project document’s own account, not independent evidence that every organisation or publication operated.
Page12, Organisations in Purples. The chart is shown as the project document’s own account, not independent evidence that every organisation or publication operated.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 12The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.

Final Solution

Page14 explicitly places Final Solution within Purples and describes deliberation, voting and organisational roles. It is an in-world organisational and procedural document.
Page14 explicitly places Final Solution within Purples and describes deliberation, voting and organisational roles. It is an in-world organisational and procedural document.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 14The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
Page16, titled Final Solution: Deliberative Council Model, shows initial, intermediate and final-round diagrams. This procedural model is distinct from the three presentation models in the spatial proposal.
Page16, titled Final Solution: Deliberative Council Model, shows initial, intermediate and final-round diagrams. This procedural model is distinct from the three presentation models in the spatial proposal.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 16The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
The rule sheet is titled Final Solution: Deliberative Council Introduction. It describes16 citizens, four members of the advisory council and successive rounds. These are designed rules, not independently verified attendance or outcomes.
The rule sheet is titled Final Solution: Deliberative Council Introduction. It describes16 citizens, four members of the advisory council and successive rounds. These are designed rules, not independently verified attendance or outcomes.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 14; 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 16; 决议会.ai · page 1The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
A purple-and-white graphic from the file named Headscarf2. Its circular and triangular S motifs correspond to the council-model symbols on page16. It is a design, not proof that a physical headscarf was produced or worn.
A purple-and-white graphic from the file named Headscarf2. Its circular and triangular S motifs correspond to the council-model symbols on page16. It is a design, not proof that a physical headscarf was produced or worn.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 16The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
A scanned ballot with the councillor number covered by a folded corner. The visible candidate number, handwritten choice and reason fields correspond to the archival forms on page8. It is an anonymous procedural example, not an adjudicated result.
A scanned ballot with the councillor number covered by a folded corner. The visible candidate number, handwritten choice and reason fields correspond to the archival forms on page8. It is an anonymous procedural example, not an adjudicated result.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 8; 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 16The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Survival/death are terms within the project procedure, not records of real casualties. Names, handwriting and vote totals have not been independently verified.
A projection-filled interior with floor lights and people standing or seated. This same image appears on page6, Ritual Performance, of the project introduction. The source EXIF records25 July2021 at19:07:06; the event, location and photographer are not independently verified.
A projection-filled interior with floor lights and people standing or seated. This same image appears on page6, Ritual Performance, of the project introduction. The source EXIF records25 July2021 at19:07:06; the event, location and photographer are not independently verified.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 6; 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 14; 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 16The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. This image matches page 6 of the source PDF. Its inclusion establishes the parent project connection; the specific event remains unidentified.

Duel Club

Page10 of the spatial proposal names DAY2: Duel Club and identifies it as Purples presentation model two. The planned day is not proof that a performance occurred.
Page10 of the spatial proposal names DAY2: Duel Club and identifies it as Purples presentation model two. The planned day is not proof that a performance occurred.Source: 03 紫色行动空间呈现方案.pdf · page 10The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
Page22 sets out the club’s rules: six participants, member voting and a four-hour time limit, explicitly framed as a nonviolent mechanism. The rule text remains separate from verified execution or outcomes.
Page22 sets out the club’s rules: six participants, member voting and a four-hour time limit, explicitly framed as a nonviolent mechanism. The rule text remains separate from verified execution or outcomes.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 22The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
The red poster explicitly names24KICK × Purples, Duel Club, a four-hour immersive interactive theatre event in a boxing gym, and23 October2021. The printed date is an announcement date, not proof of occurrence.
The red poster explicitly names24KICK × Purples, Duel Club, a four-hour immersive interactive theatre event in a boxing gym, and23 October2021. The printed date is an announcement date, not proof of occurrence.Source: 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 21; 02 紫色行动项目介绍.pdf · page 22; 03 紫色行动空间呈现方案.pdf · page 10; 决斗俱乐部.ai · page 1The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.

CCTV

Page17 names DAY3: Surveillance System / The CCTV and Purples presentation model three. It is a proposal title, not a record of an installed or operating system.
Page17 names DAY3: Surveillance System / The CCTV and Purples presentation model three. It is a proposal title, not a record of an installed or operating system.Source: 03 紫色行动空间呈现方案.pdf · page 17The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. Documents, rules and proposals do not by themselves establish implementation, participant numbers, outcomes, completed construction or a particular event.
Active slide3 of Surveillance System.key shows a proposed room layout and distances between computer, chair and phone. It is an installation proposal, not a photograph of a completed setup.
Active slide3 of Surveillance System.key shows a proposed room layout and distances between computer, chair and phone. It is an installation proposal, not a photograph of a completed setup.Source: 监控系统.key · page 3; 03 紫色行动空间呈现方案.pdf · page 17The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. The 356 × 200 image is a cached Keynote preview checked against the visible slide and its object text. It retains the source resolution.
Active slide4 diagrams computer and phone meetings, the participant and facing cameras. It presents proposed constraints, not a claim of actual deployment or operation.
Active slide4 diagrams computer and phone meetings, the participant and facing cameras. It presents proposed constraints, not a claim of actual deployment or operation.Source: 监控系统.key · page 4; 03 紫色行动空间呈现方案.pdf · page 17The source record does not establish a photographic capture date. The 356 × 200 image is a cached Keynote preview checked against the visible slide and its object text. It retains the source resolution.
Open the Purples main archive
Research, books & referenceBooks, essays, methods and reading sites
03

Research, books & reference

Research, method essays and source documents about P4 retain their authors and subjects.

Articles & original records

712 articles and thematic texts, organised by year. Performance records, interviews, criticism and writing retain their original dates and credits. Past calls and events are historical records.

Open the complete article directoryEnglish article directory
History & the archive network2015–2026 · 12 connected destinations
02

How P4 works

Participants initiate projects that continue through rehearsal, shared life and public records. Initiators, groups and collaborators retain their own credits.

2019 · Photography & theatre

From viewing to participation

He Fa and Zhang Shaohua initiated Real Image in June 2019. Its one-to-one photography theatre brings the person photographed, the photographer and the viewer into a shared encounter.

Read about Real Image
2023–2024 · Film

From live situations to film

Shoot Self with You extends shared living and rehearsal into cinema. He Fa is the director; direction and screenplay were collectively created by the crew. The film page retains the credits and public viewing links.

Watch the film and read the credits
2021–2023 · Co-creation & social practice

From participants to initiators

Theatre Public Toilet’s recruitment text records support from P4 and North Wind. Zhao Xuan initiated Kousi Theatre’s Meat Grinder. Fourth Log preserves rehearsals, discussions and shared activities, making the creative process accessible.

Explore the network and rehearsal records
↳

P4 practice & related writing

From the founding around 2015 to projects, performances and subsequent research. Each entry retains its own roles and source.

  1. 2015–2016

    Beginnings in Beijing

    Founding accounts and the public opening.

  2. 2019

    Real Image

    One-to-one photography theatre.

  3. 2020–2021

    Cocoon & Howlers on the Rooftop

    Dance theatre, rehearsals and performance records.

  4. 2021

    Purples

    Project history, rules and documents.

  5. 2023–2024

    Shoot Self with You

    Shared living, rehearsals and filmmaking.

  6. 2026

    Relational Image-Making

    A book by He Fa, studying P4 and Shoot Self with You.

↳

Explore the P4 network

12 destinations for archives, artist work, research and public channels.

Questions about P4 Theater

What is P4 Theater, and where did it begin?

P4 Theater began in Beijing and is led by He Fa. Its practice spans experimental theatre, photography, moving image and writing.

Related record
Where can I watch the complete film Shoot Self with You?

The official film page links to the complete public edition with English subtitles. It records He Fa as director and the crew’s collective direction and screenplay.

Related record
Where can I find He Fa’s individual artworks?

He Fa’s individual artworks are presented on his artist website. The P4 website documents theatre projects, collaborations and performances, with their respective authors and participants.

Related record
Where can I read P4’s English materials and bilingual book?

This English homepage links to works, research and archives. The Chinese and English editions of Relational Image-Making share a DOI and are free to read and download, with copyright retained.

Related record
How do I find past P4 performances or arrange a screening or research enquiry?

The article directory preserves performance records and interviews by year. Email 563073224@qq.com for enquiries. Historical event pages do not describe current performances.

Related record