New Visions New Voices Theatre Company

Not merely an outstanding performing troupe in Tainan City, the New Visions New Voices Theatre Company has also been recognized by the National Culture and Arts Foundation (國家文化藝術基金會) as one of Taiwan’s top performing arts groups and has received an award at the Taipei Children’s Art Festival.

Based in Tainan, New Visions New Voices (NVNV) Theatre Company builds its brand on rich creative contents and cross-disciplinary collaborations. The troupe has launched numerous projects, including music theater, performances integrated with light mapping and somatosensory interaction technology, oral history theater, environmental theater, and Taigi theater. With extensive experience in international exchange, NVNV has been invited to participate in major arts festivals in various countries. The troupe uses theater as a catalyst for social engagement and advocacy, and is committed to cultural equality, theater for young audiences, and fusion arts. It has launched the 16 Years Old Festival (十六歲正青春藝術節), the 16-Year-Old Theater program, the Incubator for New Voices platform, and productions tailored for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. In addition, it has carried out acclaimed projects on cultural experience, creative education, and the life histories of Taiwanese women–one of which was a collaborative work with the National Museum of Taiwan History.

NVNV’s leader and artistic director, Lu Yi-hsin, has participated in cultural events since childhood. Her passion for arts was developed under the influence of her parents, both professors of Chinese literature, and her uncles and aunts, many of whom were art aficionados. Her formative years were filled with books and frequent theater outings.

As a freshman year at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Lu often took night trains or buses to Taipei to attend performances, eager to explore the differences between theatrical cultures of the two cities. Later, she pursued theater studies at the University of Montana in the United States, where she encountered the Theatre of the Oppressed, created by Brazilian dramatist Augusto Boal. Inspired by Boal’s expressive and political approach, Lu came to understand that theater could go beyond the vague sense of personal expression she had previously felt—it could be transformed into concrete, strategic social action. This realization strengthen her resolve to bring artistic creation back to the broader public, reflecting her own upbringing among people deeply engaged in the arts.

In 2012, the NVNV presented its debut show, “The Legend of Sea, Sky, and the Bird (海・天・鳥傳說),” featuring four folk tales from Taiwanese Indigenous Amis and Tao peoples, as well as from the United States and Haiti. The show uses a wide range of theatrical approaches, including objects, puppetry, physical movements, dance, and percussion to convey different messages to young audiences.

Lu recalls that the inspiration for founding the company came during her second stint in the U.S., where she studied theater for children and young people at Eastern Michigan University. While engaging American teenagers in the performing arts, she observed that youth theater there tackled diverse issues—including those affecting marginalized teens, such as school dropouts. This prompted her to ask: if she wanted to dedicate herself to youth theater, why not do it for Taiwanese youth? The birth of her first child further solidified her resolve to pursue this vision at home. With a focus on audiences aged three to eighteen, Lu began creating innovative and unconventional theater for young people.

Having gained experiences in “museum theater” in the U.S., Lu brought these concepts and connections into a project on literature showcases to create different ambience for exhibition venues. Straddling two worlds of literature and theater, the NVNV director has familiarized herself to transform stories and historical materials into theatrical productions. For instance, in 2020, the theater company collaborated with Taiwan New Cultural Movement Memorial Museum (臺灣新文化運動紀念館) to create a play in commemoration of the Taiwanese Cultural Association’s centennial. The following year, the troupe worked with National Museum of Taiwan History to stage a theatrical piece centered on women’s history in Taiwan.

Ministry of Culture

Contemporary Performance Arts

New Visions New Voices Theatre Company