The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Taiwan Season in August was filled with continuous highlights. In addition to the performances selected by the Ministry of Culture and over 3,000 shows from more than 70 countries, there was a parade and a “Taiwan Night” reception on Aug. 14, followed by the Taiwan Symposium on Aug. 18.
The “Taiwan Symposium” is an event organized by the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK in collaboration with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Taiwan Season. It has been held since 2020 when performance groups from Taiwan came to Edinburgh for a month-long series of shows during the Taiwan Season.
The Symposium invites performing arts professionals from both Taiwan and abroad to exchange ideas and insights, helping participants stay up-to-date with the latest developments in Taiwan’s performing arts scene and increasing the visibility of the Taiwan Season brand at the Fringe. This year’s Symposium focused on “Taiwan Season’s First Decade: Challenges, Achievements, and Changes,” discussing the experiences, observations, and critiques of the first ten years of Taiwan Season. Speakers included Verity Leigh, former curator of Summerhall and director of the Horizon Showcase; Morag Deyes, former artistic director of Dance Base; Ellinor Fristorp Rodén, director of International Participation at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society; Chen Wei-ting (陳韋廷), project manager of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Taiwan Season at Zhong He Creative International, and Yeh Ji-wen (葉紀紋), the local curator in the UK.
In his speech at the Symposium, Chen Pin-chuan (陳斌全), Director of the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, emphasized that Taiwan Season not only showcases the contemporary performing arts scene in Taiwan but also brings cultural diversity to the Fringe. The Ministry of Culture also looks forward to continuing to bring high-quality Taiwanese cultural content to the beautiful city of Edinburgh.