Beijing People's Art Theatre was founded on June 12, 1952, with playwright Cao Yu as its first President and Feng Yuanzheng as the current President. In its early years, under the guidance of pioneering artists such as Guo Moruo, Lao She, Cao Yu, and Jiao Juyin, the theatre gathered a constellation of outstanding talents including Shu Xiuwen, Tian Chong, and Zhu Lin, gradually forging its distinctive acting style and artistic identity. The theatre's artistic foundation runs deep: Lao She's Longxugou stands as its seminal work, while Teahouse—premiered in 1958—has become the institution's crown jewel, touring extensively across Europe, Asia, and the Americas to international acclaim. Other signature productions include Cai Wenji, Thunderstorm, Small Well Lane, and Death of a Salesman.

In recent years, the theatre has continued to advance both artistic heritage and innovation: in 2021, the Beijing International Drama Centre was completed, adding the Cao Yu Theatre and the Renyi Studio Theatre; in 2022, for the theatre's 70th anniversary, Teahouse was broadcast in 8K ultra-high definition, alongside a series of commemorative events; in 2023, the inaugural "Renyi Friends Day" brand event was launched; in 2024, the theatre toured with Hamlet to Macau and Our Jing Ke to Serbia; in 2025, the International Theatre Invitation Exhibition opened, with a total of 37 productions staged throughout the year. As of March 2026, the theatre operates five venues of varying scales—the Capital Theatre, the Experimental Theatre, and the Cao Yu Theatre among them—continuing to drive the development and dissemination of theatrical arts.