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Seven Taiwanese troupes head for Avignon OFF, Edinburgh Fringe

  • Date:2019-07-05~2019-08-26
Seven Taiwanese troupes head for Avignon OFF, Edinburgh Fringe

Each year, the Ministry of Culture provides support for Taiwanese groups to take the stage at the Off Festival d'Avignon and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, two of the biggest events on the world performing arts calendar. This year, seven groups have received this support, with performances spanning dance, theater, traditional theater, sign language, and puppetry, with themes covering contemporary Taiwan, Taiwanese history and culture, and an interdisciplinary resurrection of a classic traditional theatrical piece. Through this diverse range of art forms and pieces, these groups will help market Taiwan's cultural brand to the world.



The Off Festival d'Avignon runs from July 5 to 28, with Taiwan's representatives including dance troupe B. Dance, who will perform an adaptation of novelist Shuichi Yoshida's "Ikari"; Gang-a Tsui Theater, with an adaptation of "Walking through Luojin" derived from author Shi Shu-qing's "Taiwan Trilogy"; Kuo-Shin Chuang Pangcah Dance Theatre, performing "038," a piece inspired by Hualien's telephone area code; and Hsing Legend Theatre's reinterpretation of a tale from classic novel "The Water Margin": "Wu Song – The Tiger Warrior."



The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, meanwhile, runs Aug. 2 through 26, and this year's Taiwan Season will feature Shinehouse Theatre's eponymous adaptation of writer Hwang Chun-ming's short novel "Fish," conveying Taiwan's distinctive local culture through sign language; B. Dance, following up their Avignon appearance with their first performance at Edinburgh Festival Fringe with "Floating Flowers"; Chang Dance Theatre, following a five-star appearance at the 2018 Fringe with their first in-house creation, "Bout"; and Dua Shin Te Production's exploration of loneliness and confronting one's true self, "Monster."

 

The Ministry of Culture looks forward to seeing these groups showcase Taiwan's cultural soft power on the international stage, build relationships within the worldwide performing arts community, and plant the seeds of future opportunities for international performances.


Follow @TaiwanAvignon and @taiwanseason19 for the latest updates!