BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- This year's Theater of the Nations Festival will open for the first time in China on Thursday, and 36 theaters from all five continents are expected to attend.

    The 31st session of this world-famous drama festival is scheduled to be held in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, from Oct.16 to 26.

    "The festival will cover all genres to showcase a full spectrum of theater," said Dong Wei, vice president of Beijing-based Chinese Dramatists Association, which was the festival's organizing committee.

    With the theme, "Theater Tradition and New Appearance of the World", the festival will cover a wide range of drama, said Dong.

    On the schedule are the street drama "Prometheus" from Greece, broadway musical "Aida", "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" from Russia, "Romeo and Juliet" from the Republic of Korea, "Cyrano de Bergerac" from Japan, "Drumstruck" from South Africa, "Woyzeck" from Germany and Australian puppetry show "Forest in the Night".

    Chinese dramas, including "Thunder Storm", "The Legend of the Overlord", "In the Mood for Love", "Occidental Mahjong" (Hong Kong) and "The Secret Files of Detective Piggy" (Taiwan) will also be staged.

    The festival was initiated in 1957 by the International Theater Institute (ITI), a sub-organization of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

    China joined ITI in 1981 and became an executive committee member last month.

    A forum with the theme, "Development of Theater in Globalization" is also expected to be held during the festival.