- Chinese Name: 一心戲劇團
- Year of Establishment: 1989
- Site: http://yi-sin.myweb.hinet.net/
- Memorable Quote: "We strive to preserve the elegant moves and ballads of Taiwanese opera while enhancing its dramatic effect by injecting modern elements into its traditional soul.”
Troupe leader Suen Rong-huei (孫榮輝) founded the Yi-Shin Taiwanese Opera Troupe on Sept.9, 1989. His motives were to preserve the legacy of his father, Suen Guei (孫貴), who devoted his entire life to the art of Taiwanese opera. In fact, several generations of family members, all Taiwanese opera artists, helped to bring the Yi-Shin Taiwanese Opera Troupe into existence.
The troupe hopes to improve the image of Taiwanese opera by augmenting the vocal styles and dance steps of the traditional art form with the rhythm, direction, and choreography techniques of modern theater. Each member of the troupe is an accomplished performer of the traditional craft. The impresario himself, now in his sixties, is particularly noted for his lead role in "The Scrooge General.”
Yi-Shin Taiwanese Opera Troupe was the first traditional Taiwanese opera group to be invited to China's Fujian Province, where they first performed in 1993; they were also featured by the Taiwanese Opera Art Festival in 2004. Suen's singing and acrobatic performance have continuously received high praise from professionals in China.
In 2004 the group invited the star performer of Beijing opera, Chu Lu-hao (朱陸豪), as well as Taiwanese opera artist Suen Tsui-feng (孫翠鳳), Suen's younger sister, to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the founding of Taipei. The star-studded cast performed the work "Liu Mingchuan ‒ the First Governor of Taiwan (烽火英雄劉銘傳),” which received rave reviews.
The Yi-Shin troupe also participated in the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition, staging several astonishing traditional performances. They have been chosen by audiences as "The Most Intriguing Theatrical Group” and have won wide critical acclaim; one critic called them "an art troupe that is led by a highly sophisticated directing-style … with the greatest theatrical effect.”