The first Taiwan Traditional Theatre Festival held by the Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center is running from March 29 to May 27, and the Center has quite the show planned, leading off with the March 29 headlining performance of "Romancing in the Moonlight."
Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chun extended a special invitation to Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to attend the March 29 event, and both were present alongside major international performance venue managers, art festival directors, and curators from Europe, the Americas, and East Asia, as well as leading figures from Taiwan's art world.
The Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center opened in Taipei's Shilin District in October 2017. It not only represents the government's focus on the development of the traditional arts but is also expected to serve as a gateway for audiences from home and abroad to experience the world of Taiwanese artistic traditions.
With professional performances of high-quality traditional theatrical pieces that showcase both the classical and the innovative, the Center is sure to spark new dialogues with contemporary audiences.
Minister Cheng first thanked Wu Rung-shun (吳榮順), director of the National Center for Traditional Arts, and his team for their efforts in organizing the inaugural Taiwan Traditional Theatre Festival. The launch of this festival highlights the essential role of the Center in promoting the cultural charm of traditional theatrical arts.
In reestablishing the links between the art and the shared historical memories of both the land and its people, the Center is highlighting the richness of Taiwanese theater and establishing exchanges between local and international theatrical traditions, she added.
Minister Cheng then expressed her thanks to Professor Chiu Kun-liang (邱坤良) for his creativity in using theater to tell Taiwanese tales and for setting a high benchmark for future headlining performances. She also expressed sincere admiration for artistic director Tang Mei-yun (唐美雲) and her many years of contribution and sacrifice to the arts.
The headline show for the inaugural Taiwan Traditional Theatre Festival – "Romancing in the Moonlight" – recreates Taiwan society from the 1930s to 1950s through a series of vignettes about a feud between two schools of Beiguan music. Each performance involves the participation of some 200 people.
The 2018 Taiwan Traditional Theatre Festival running from March 29 to May 27 will host a total of 16 exciting productions in a diverse range of styles, including koa-á-hì (Taiwanese opera), pò͘-tē-hì (Taiwanese glove puppetry), Hakka opera, Nanguan opera, Peking opera, and Yu opera.
For more details on the two-month program, please visit the festival’s website at http://festival.ncfta.gov.tw/.