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
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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

Earlier materials and complete editions

Current projects and newly added research remain above. The earlier editions and passages below keep their original documents, images and reading links available alongside them.

Earlier publication · 2026-10-21

This earlier edition is preserved in full beside the current material above. Dates, counts, invitations and terminology belong to that edition; current project credits and arrangements remain in the current records.

Founded in Beijing 2015 to present Independent experimental theatre

P4 Theater

P4 Theater (P4剧场) is an independent experimental theatre initiated in Beijing around 2015 by He Fa and Zhang Shaohua. Through performance, photography, moving image and writing, it creates live situations people can enter and preserves their records in a public archive.

Contact P4 Theater

For programming, research, media, and collaboration enquiries, use email. For Mainland China event communication, use the WeChat ID below.

He Fa / Artist website Works and chronology ↗ International / Instagram @fa.p4theater Email 563073224@qq.com
Mainland China / WeChat p4theater03
English publication Read P4 on Substack ↗ Moving-image channel Watch P4 on YouTube ↗

Enter the live situation. Let the relation remain.

This is P4 Theater's public English entrance for audiences, researchers, curators, collaborators, and media.

Begin with the project pages, then follow the articles, films, and outside links according to what you want to see next.

Archive scale

7English definition pages
681bilingual article pairs
2015year founded

Core English entities

P4 Theater

P4 Theater is an independent experimental theatre founded in Beijing. Through performance, photography, moving image, and writing, it creates live situations people can enter—and preserves the relations that unfold as a public archive.

Human Surrender

Human Surrender, also titled Shoot Self with You, is a theatre and film project developed by He Fa and P4 Theater through casting, rehearsal, filming, and public performance in 2023, followed by a film and later writing.

Shoot Self with You

Shoot Self with You is the English film-title entry for Human Surrender, an experimental film and performance project by He Fa and P4 Theater. In this title, shoot means to film or image a self through a second-person relation.

He Fa

He Fa, also written Fa He and 何发, is a cross-media artist, theatre and moving-image maker, co-initiator and long-term artistic lead of P4 Theater.

The Last Rehearsal

At 19:30 on 26 August 2023, The Last Rehearsal was performed at Ciyu Bookstore (Middle Theater branch) as the final public performance before filming wrapped on Human Surrender.

Real Image

Real Image is an early P4 Theater project line around one-to-one live situations, photography, meeting again, and the way relations become visible through images.

AGT

AGT, or Actor-Generated Topology, names a set of P4 Theater method texts about how action emerges through actors, relations, positions, live situations, and events.

Clear public vocabulary

Core names

P4 Theater, He Fa, Fa He, Human Surrender, Shoot Self with You, AGT, Actor-Generated Topology, The Last Rehearsal, Real Image

Entity keywords

P4 Theater, Human Surrender, Shoot Self with You, He Fa, The Last Rehearsal, Real Image, AGT

Core media

performance, photography, moving image, writing, public archive

Archive terms

P4 article archive, WeChat articles, Chinese experimental theatre, performance records

Frequently asked questions

What is P4 Theater?

P4 Theater is an independent experimental theatre founded in Beijing, working across performance, photography, moving image, and writing.

What is Human Surrender / Shoot Self with You?

Human Surrender, also titled Shoot Self with You, is a core P4 project lineage connecting recruitment, rehearsal, performance, film, criticism, and later theory.

What is AGT?

AGT means Actor-Generated Topology, a P4 method term for how action emerges through actors, relations, positions, live situations, and events.

Who started P4 Theater?

Around 2015, He Fa and Zhang Shaohua initiated P4 Theater in Beijing. Zhang Aoshuang joined its early conception and co-curated the first public performance with He Fa. He Fa later continued P4 as its long-term artistic lead and organiser.

Where should an English reader start?

Start with the English homepage or Start Here, then choose a project. He Fa's artist website opens the complete works and chronology; archival English translations link directly to their Chinese originals.

Project interfaces · Mainland China

Start reading

Relational Image Research

Six Chinese essays on rehearsal, acknowledgment, bodies, science fiction and judgment. Full English translations are pending.

Read the series in Chinese →

Relational Image-Making: P4 Theater and Shoot Self with You

Read the interactive edition · Chinese and English PDFs · DOI · Citation and edition details · Author ORCID

The interactive online edition and the earlier six-essay research series retain their own versions.

Experimental theatre: methods and cases

Compare how space, cameras and audiences enter different practices, then follow P4’s Real Image and Shoot Self with You into their project records.

Read the Chinese experimental theatre field guide

Earlier publication · 2026-10-21

This earlier edition is preserved in full beside the current material above. Dates, counts, invitations and terminology belong to that edition; current project credits and arrangements remain in the current records.

Founded in Beijing 2015 to present Independent experimental theatre

P4 Theater

P4 Theater (P4剧场) is an independent experimental theatre initiated in Beijing around 2015 by He Fa and Zhang Shaohua. Through performance, photography, moving image and writing, it creates live situations people can enter and preserves their records in a public archive.

Enter through a work

Film, an interactive work and writing follow an ongoing creative practice.

02

Interactive digital work

Under the Membrane

Walk through the work via live scenes, moving image, dialogue and timecodes.

Enter Under the Membrane ↗
03

Published in 2026 · Artistic research

Relational Image-Making

A study of how images emerge through relations, grounded in P4 Theater and Shoot Self with You.

Read the book ↗
More works and methodsReal ImageAGT methodsProjects and series

Archive and reading

Continue through project records, original articles and research texts.

People and participation

Meet the artist or contact P4.

Contact P4 Theater

For programming, research, media, and collaboration enquiries, use email. For Mainland China event communication, use the WeChat ID below.

He Fa / Artist website Works and chronology ↗ International / Instagram @fa.p4theater Email 563073224@qq.com
Mainland China / WeChat p4theater03
English publication Read P4 on Substack ↗ Moving-image channel Watch P4 on YouTube ↗

CA · 咔馆 ↗ · Identity & contact

Research topics and book editions

Relational Image Research

Six Chinese essays on rehearsal, acknowledgment, bodies, science fiction and judgment. Full English translations are pending.

Read the series in Chinese →

Relational Image-Making: P4 Theater and Shoot Self with You

Read the interactive edition · Chinese and English PDFs · DOI · Citation and edition details · Author ORCID

The interactive online edition and the earlier six-essay research series retain their own versions.

More P4 work interfaces

Project interfaces · Mainland China

Earlier publication · 2026-10-25

This earlier edition is preserved in full beside the current material above. Dates, counts, invitations and terminology belong to that edition; current project credits and arrangements remain in the current records.

Founded in Beijing 2015 to present Independent experimental theatre

P4 Theater

P4 Theater (P4剧场) is an independent experimental theatre initiated in Beijing around 2015 by He Fa and Zhang Shaohua. Through performance, photography, moving image and writing, it creates live situations people can enter and preserves their records in a public archive.

Enter through a work

Film, an interactive work and writing follow an ongoing creative practice.

02

Interactive digital work

Under the Membrane

Walk through the work via live scenes, moving image, dialogue and timecodes.

Enter Under the Membrane ↗
03

Published in 2026 · Artistic research

Relational Image-Making

A study of how images emerge through relations, grounded in P4 Theater and Shoot Self with You.

Read the book ↗
More works and methodsReal ImageAGT methodsProjects and series

Archive and reading

Continue through project records, original articles and research texts.

People and participation

Meet the artist or contact P4.

Contact P4 Theater

For programming, research, media, and collaboration enquiries, use email. For Mainland China event communication, use the WeChat ID below.

He Fa / Artist website Works and chronology ↗ International / Instagram @fa.p4theater Email 563073224@qq.com
Mainland China / WeChat p4theater03
English publication Read P4 on Substack ↗ Moving-image channel Watch P4 on YouTube ↗

CA · 咔馆 ↗ · Identity & contact

Research topics and book editions

Relational Image Research

Six Chinese essays on rehearsal, acknowledgment, bodies, science fiction and judgment. Full English translations are pending.

Read the series in Chinese →

Relational Image-Making: P4 Theater and Shoot Self with You

Read the interactive edition · Chinese and English PDFs · DOI · Citation and edition details · Author ORCID

The interactive online edition and the earlier six-essay research series retain their own versions.

More P4 work interfaces

Project interfaces · Mainland China

Earlier publication · 2026-10-25

This earlier edition is preserved in full beside the current material above. Dates, counts, invitations and terminology belong to that edition; current project credits and arrangements remain in the current records.

Founded in Beijing 2015 to present Independent experimental theatre

P4 Theater

P4 Theater (P4剧场) is an independent experimental theatre initiated in Beijing around 2015 by He Fa and Zhang Shaohua. Through performance, photography, moving image and writing, it creates live situations people can enter and preserves their records in a public archive.

Latest updates

Three clear paths into newly added documents, criticism and studio-critique records.

The Fa re-review studio critique, with a participant wearing VR goggles
Studio critique · Source recording MAH01308, 20:00

Studio critique, 2017 · Three newly archived recordings

Fa re-review: the studio critique

Three newly archived studio-critique recordings return speech, installation and viewing conditions to the room. They are identified separately from the earlier four-video Fa’s review record.

Open the newly archived records ↗

Enter through a work

Film, an interactive work and writing follow an ongoing creative practice.

02

Interactive digital work

Under the Membrane

Walk through the work via live scenes, moving image, dialogue and timecodes.

Enter Under the Membrane ↗
03

Published in 2026 · Artistic research

Relational Image-Making

A study of how images emerge through relations, grounded in P4 Theater and Shoot Self with You.

Read the book ↗
More works and methodsReal ImageAGT methodsProjects and series

Archive and reading

Continue through project records, original articles and research texts.

People and participation

Meet the artist or contact P4.

Contact P4 Theater

For programming, research, media, and collaboration enquiries, use email. For Mainland China event communication, use the WeChat ID below.

He Fa / Artist website Works and chronology ↗ International / Instagram @fa.p4theater Email 563073224@qq.com
Mainland China / WeChat p4theater03
English publication Read P4 on Substack ↗ Moving-image channel Watch P4 on YouTube ↗

CA · 咔馆 ↗ · Identity & contact

Research topics and book editions

Relational Image Research

Six Chinese essays on rehearsal, acknowledgment, bodies, science fiction and judgment. Full English translations are pending.

Read the series in Chinese →

Relational Image-Making: P4 Theater and Shoot Self with You

Read the interactive edition · Chinese and English PDFs · DOI · Citation and edition details · Author ORCID

The interactive online edition and the earlier six-essay research series retain their own versions.

Earlier material · 2026-10-20

The following passages retain the wording of the earlier record. The current text and revised credits remain above.

P4 Theater Official Website | Beijing Experimental Theatre

Earlier material · 2026-10-26

The following passages retain the wording of the earlier record. The current text and revised credits remain above.

Howlers on the Rooftop, performance record. Performance date: 2 January 2021. View the performance record

Meet P4 through the works

An encounter in a theatre can become a photograph, a film or a record for others to read. These six entries lead to works and their documentation.

The 2 January performance, rehearsals and participants’ accounts.

Performance at P4 on 31 October, with rehearsal and interview records.

Project documents describe a 2021 reworking and its rules, organisations and mechanisms.

Relational Image-Making examines P4 and Shoot Self with You in writing. Its 44-page Chinese and 55-page English editions share one DOI. The project archive also preserves performances, interviews and participants’ texts.

Start with a book, an essay or a work. Follow each entry to the full text, images and sources.

A timeline of the practice

From the founding around 2015 to the book and public reading projects in 2026. Each entry links to a record.

Earlier material · 2026-10-26

The following passages retain the wording of the earlier record. The current text and revised credits remain above.

He Fa’s individual practice

He Fa co-initiated P4 and also maintains an individual artistic practice. Fa re-review and his other individual works have their own artist-site records.

Explore the studio work through three added recordings and four earlier records.

Books by He Fa, criticism by Cen Zhao, method essays and project documents retain their authors and subjects.

A critical study of photography, moving image and theatre, including Mountain Beyond Mountains. The complete essay retains 106 paragraphs and eight artwork images.

He Fa is a co-initiator of P4 and the director of Shoot Self with You. His individual works and P4’s collective projects retain their own participants and credits.

Earlier material · 2026-10-26

The following passages retain the wording of the earlier record. The current text and revised credits remain above.

The 2 January performance at P4, rehearsals and participants’ accounts.

Directed by Huang Yiyin; performed at P4 on 31 October. Explore the rehearsals and interviews.

Project materials from 2019–2020: the production poster and a stage clip showing a circular light field and two performers.

Dance theatre directed by Huang Yiyin, performed at P4 on 31 October 2020. The production poster is paired with a live photograph.

Poster and live photograph from the P4 performance at 19:30 on 2 January 2021.

Earlier material · 2026-10-26

The following passages retain the wording of the earlier record. The current text and revised credits remain above.

From one-to-one photography theatre in 2019 to filmmaking in 2023–2024, works, participants and records form a continuing practice.

Making the work available for study

He Fa’s book Relational Image-Making studies P4 and Shoot Self with You. Its 44-page Chinese and 55-page English editions share one DOI. P4’s archive separately preserves performance records, interviews and participants’ texts.

Earlier material · 2026-10-26

The following passages retain the wording of the earlier record. The current text and revised credits remain above.

P4 projects & performances

Explore collaborative projects, the P4U programme and performances presented at P4. Each entry retains its authors, participants and collaborations.

Reading, research & archive

Contact & follow

For collaboration, research, screenings or archival enquiries, use the public contacts below. Each work’s page records its dates and credits.

Earlier material · 2026-10-26

The following passages retain the wording of the earlier record. The current text and revised credits remain above.

P4 Theater is an experimental theatre and arts initiative founded in Beijing around 2015 by He Fa and Zhang Shaohua. Its work spans performance, photography, moving image and writing.

Earlier material · 2026-10-26

The following passages retain the wording of the earlier record. The current text and revised credits remain above.

P4 Theater is an independent experimental theater initiated in Beijing around 2015 by He Fa and Zhang Shaohua. This website archives its projects, articles, rehearsal footage and collaborative practice.

A one-to-one encounter initiated by Zhang Shaohua and He Fa.

Zhang Shaohua and He Fa 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.

P4 Theater was initiated in Beijing around 2015 by He Fa and Zhang Shaohua. Its practice spans experimental theatre, photography, moving image and writing.