The audience of some 150 people took their places on the plush red seats in the horseshoe-shaped auditorium on September 19 and settled back in the sumptuous surroundings for a night at the opera.

But while the giant façade around the elevated stage is just the kind one would find in a prestigious theater, the harsh glare of the lights - which did not dim prior to the raising of the curtain - was a constant reminder that this was, in fact, a shopping mall rather than an opera house.

This theater-in-a-mall (pictured below) is the creation of Gao Guangjian, chief stage designer of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He has worked on a number of critically acclaimed theater productions such as Turandot, directed by Zhang Yimou.

His design of the stage façade is a scale replica of that of the Lyceum Theatre on Maoming Road South. Built in 1931, the venue is regarded as the first European-style theater in China, and has hosted all kinds of shows ranging from Chinese and Western operas to drama, dance and musicals. Meanwhile, the auditorium has been decked out to mimic London's Royal Opera House.

While Gao's set brings the rarefied atmosphere of a theater to a shopping mall, the action onstage is quite different from what one would normally expect at such a venue.

The production choice itself is normal enough - The Nightingale, the opera by Igor Stravinsky based on the Hans Christian Anderson's story of the same name about a Chinese emperor's fascination with a nightingale's song.

What sets this production apart is that most of the people onstage have no acting experience. Rather, they were selected via a public draw. With just a few days of rehearsals, they take their cues from directions fed to them via the 3D glasses they wear.

An amateur performer takes cues fed via 3D glasses in a performance of The Nightingale. Photos: Courtesy of the event organizer

The show is directed by Chinese multimedia artist Feng Jiangzhou. Two vocalists stand on the right side of the stage and sing the English lyrics to the opera. The main part of the stage is set aside for the dozen or so amateur performers.

Due to the constant lighting in the mall, dark interludes onstage for scene changes are impossible. Instead, some of the performers dress in black and switch props between scenes.

Feng's talent in multimedia display and interaction is well demonstrated during the show. One screen on the stage displays a variety of images, some of which the actors interact with, while the other is primarily used for subtitling, but will from time to time also show images.

Gao said the project aims to bring theater culture closer to people, especially those in suburban areas.

Zhou Beili, an artist and staff member at Shanghai Mass Art Center in Xuhui district, was in September 19's audience. She told the Global Times she "saw the sincerity of the whole production team through the splendid theater installation and the modern presentation of the opera."

Gao said after the show that he was quite satisfied with how it turned out. Besides the seated audience, people also gathered outside the theater area from where they could still see the stage.

It's the first time Gao has worked in such a public space on a theater production. Originally, the mall had asked him to present an exhibition of costumes (pictured above). But, wanting to do more to bring theater culture to Jiading district, Gao asked if he could also put on a full show.

He said he hopes seeing the show will inspire people to visit theaters and watch operas and other productions. Even if many people don't take this step, Gao said it is still a valuable exercise in bringing people and theater culture closer together.

The opera will be shown again from October 2 to 4.

Anyone wishing to appear in the production can apply at the information desk at the mall.

Tickets to the shows are free and available online at antinganting.com.cn/2014drama.

The theater installation, together with the exhibition of costumes from Turandot, will be on display at the mall until October 19.

Date: October 2 to 4, 7 pm

Venue: Life Hub @ Anting

嘉亭荟生活广场

Address: 1055 Moyu Road South

墨玉南路1055号

Admission: Free

Call 6950-3723 for details