Chinese Name: 黑眼睛跨劇團
Establishment: 2009
Founder: Yen Hung-ya (閻鴻亞), commonly known as Hung Hung (鴻鴻)
Official Website: https://www.darkeyes.com.tw/wp/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DarkEyesLabFans/?locale=zh_TW
Did You Know That…?
Drawing inspiration from the legend of Subcomandante Marcos, the former military leader and spokesman of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, Dark Eyes Performance Lab takes the image of the masked Mexican insurgent’s eyes as its emblem, embodying his revolutionary spirit.
Founded in 2009 by poet, director, and curator Hung Hung, Dark Eyes Performance Lab addresses contemporary issues, challenges social taboos, and offers new perspectives through theatrical creativity. Since its establishment, the troupe has actively introduced avant-garde theatrical productions from around the world and constantly created original works that push boundaries in both form and content, keeping pace with rapidly changing times. Over many years, artistic director Hung Hung has worked with numerous young artists, promoting cross-disciplinary collaborations in art creation.
The troupe’s representative works include musicals aimed at breaking mainstream beauty standards—“The Ugly One (醜男子),” “Jump! Big Girl! (跳舞吧！胖女孩),” and “Winnie the Boob (維妮);” documentary theatre “Taiwan 365 - Eternity of a Day (Taiwan 365—永遠的一天);” productions that analyze ethical issues—“Blackbird (黑鳥)” and “Alive and Kicking - A Real Children’s Play (活小孩);” an anti-play of the Theatres of Cruelty and the Absurd—“A Crash Course in Modern Theater (現代劇場大補帖);” and curatorial projects “Home Swap (換屋計畫),” “Faaaaat Festival (胖節),” and “In-yer-face Festival (對幹戲劇節).”
In addition, “Der Ring Des Nibelungen: A Revolution Unarmed (華格納革命指環),” a collaboration between Dark Eyes and three contemporary Taiwanese theater groups —Riverbed Theatre (河床劇團), EX-Theatre Asia (EX-亞洲劇團), and Against Again Troupe (再拒劇團) —was recognized for Performing Arts Excellence by the National Culture and Arts Foundation (國家文化藝術基金會).
Dark Eyes has also participated in major art festivals at home and abroad, including Toga Festival in Japan, Taipei Arts Festival, and International Theatre Festival in Taiwan, showcasing its cross-genre and cross-cultural works including “Picnic on the Battlefield (戰場上的野餐),” “Bananaiana (我是東西南北香蕉人),” and “Les fourberies de Myriam (蜜莉安的詭計).”
Continuing to expand its artistic scope, the troupe has experimented with diverse forms and content: the reinterpretation of the play “Félicité (生而為粉我很抱歉)” by Canadian playwright Olivier Choinière; the cultural exchange with artists from Japan in “The Young Generation Unfinished: Contemporary Japanese Play Reading Festival (青年世代未完成─日本當代讀劇祭);” the partnership with choreographer Yu Yen-fang (余彥芳) in “Something Has Been Changed Silently by Time─Project Muomuo 2017 (時間沉默地改變了甚麼──默默計畫2017)” and “Propositions on Disappearance Ⅲ (關於消失的幾個提議Ⅲ).”
In 2018, leading up to its tenth anniversary, Dark Eyes hosted the “Summer Youth Art Festival—Play Arts (夏日青年藝術節─玩聚場)” and launched the “Too Many Dreams in One Night (夜長夢多：異境重返之求生計畫)” project, combining immersive theater with virtual reality (VR) technology.
In 2020, Dark Eyes participated in the Taipei Children’s Arts Festival with “Demo of the Wind (春風小小孩DEMO),” bringing together middle generation artists with kids to explore children’s theater. The following year, at the invitation of National Taichung Theater, artistic director Hung Hung directed “Tannhäuser”—an opera created by German composer Richard Wagner. In 2023, the troupe presented a hybrid opera “Portent (天中殺),” an adaptation from writer Huang Ling-zhi (黃靈芝)’s eponymous short story, in collaboration with conductor Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬), composer Li Yuan-chen (李元貞), and jazz musician Hsieh Min-yen (謝明諺).