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Taiwanese Opera and Puppet Museum in Pingtung hosts costume exhibition

  • Date:2020-12-22
©Cultural Affairs Department of Pingtung Country Government

The Taiwanese Opera & Puppet Museum in Pingtung (屏東戲曲故事館) is hosting the "Box Pop Up! Exhibition of Taiwanese Opera Costumes(戲籠乾坤)" from Dec. 22, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021. On display are stage costumes and paraphernalia, as well as on stage and backstage photos, which can provide visitors a glimpse of the fascinating theatrical life.

The Cultural Affairs Department of Pingtung County Government indicated that Taiwanese opera is a representative form of traditional culture of Taiwan. In earlier days, a troupe would place all the props and costumes into "opera boxes," originally made out of bamboo and later of wood and metal, and the boxes were taken care of by a designated staff. Various boxes were for various types of items, such as costumes, helmets, and props. Later on, actors began to own "private boxes" to keep their personal clothes and belongings.

With a history of over a century, Taiwanese opera has become a major form of entertainment for the average folks due to the familiarity of the language, according to the Cultural Affairs Department. Performances of Taiwanese opera always attracted crowds of people, and a local saying, "watching till the opera boxes are carried away," describing that some fans were reluctant to leave after the show was over, fully reflects the popularity.

The costumes and accessories contained in "opera boxes," which characterize various roles of the Taiwanese opera, and some stage taboos, which have been revealed nowadays, enable the public to see the cultural context and the transformation of the Taiwanese opera.

The Cultural Affairs Department noted that the costumes on display were loaned from the "Qun-Ying Taiwanese Opera Amatuer Troupe (群英歌仔戲實驗劇團)." Visitors are welcomed to try on costumes of characters from the play "Sam Pek Eng Tay (山伯英台)" and to have photo shoots in costume.

The Taiwanese Opera & Puppet Museum in Pingtung also announced that on occasion of the Lunar New Year, the museum has invited the Ming Hwa Yuan Huang Taiwanese Opera Troupe (明華園黃字戲劇團) to give a performance at the museum at 3:30pm on Feb. 14, 2021.

Photo courtesy of Cultural Affairs Department of Pingtung Country Government