Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Jin Kwei Lo Puppetry Company (真快樂掌中劇團) will be performing their show "The Soup of Reincarnation (孟婆．湯)" at an international puppet theatre festival, the Festival de Casteliers, in Canada, on March 3 and 4.
The founder of Jin Kwei Lo Puppetry Company, Chiang Shi-mei (江賜美), who is also Taiwan's national living treasure, will work in hand with Director Cheng Chia-yin (鄭嘉音) to introduce the exquisite art of Taiwanese glove puppetry as well offer a rare look at the reinterpretation of classic characters by Taiwanese contemporary theater.
Jin Kwei Lo Puppetry Company has been actively participating in international art events to showcase the beauty of Taiwanese traditional glove puppetry and has since drawn international attention after their performances at the 2018 OFF Festival d'Avignon and the 2019 World Festival of Puppet Theatres.
"The Soup of Reincarnation" breaks through the framework of traditional glove puppetry framework with curtains, moving stages, and lighting. The story depicts the encounter between Meng Po, who resides by the river Lethe in the underworld, and three iconic female characters in classic stories Wang Bao-Chuan (王寶釧), Pan Jin-Lian (潘金蓮), and Bai Su-Zhen (白素貞). After looking back on their past lives and fate together, they took Meng Po’s Soup to reincarnate to the next life without the burdens of the previous life.
Prior to the official event, Jin Kwei Lo Puppetry Company also collaborated with the Association québécoise des marionnettistes (Québec Association of Puppeteers) and launched a three-day workshop. The activity was attended by local puppeteers, actors, puppet makers, and teachers.