A drama troupe from a primary school in Haimen district, Nantong, won the Golden Phoenix Award, the top prize at the 2026 Youth International Drama and Film Conference in Tongxiang, East China's Zhejiang province, on Oct 18.

Young actors perform in Dream-Seeking Cats at the 2026 Youth International Drama and Film Conference. [Photo/WeChat account: haimenfabu]

The nine-member troupe is from the Changjiang Road campus of Dongzhou Primary School. The troupe performed Dream-Seeking Cats, an English adaptation of the British children's tale Twelve Cats. The story follows a group of cats as they travel together in pursuit of their dreams, gaining courage and learning to work as a team along the way.

The show was first staged in Chinese at the second Oh! Castle Festival in Haimen in July 2025. Its English version debuted at Haimen Grand Theater on March 19.

The students trained after school, working on their pronunciation, facial expressions, and stage movement. Performing in English was challenging, as they had to deliver their lines fluently while also coordinating their gestures and stage positions.

Sun Wei, their instructor, said the children were nervous and stumbled over their lines during rehearsal but were fully immersed in their roles during the actual performance.