The lead players, from left to right, Sun Yuen-cheng, Ni Min-ren, Xia Yi, and Fu Reh
Photo: Vicky Mo
According to the photographers' asking, performers re-acted their movements
Photo: Vicky Mo
“To me, the most difficult thing is how to bring people to each theatre when we’re playing.” said Xia Yi (夏禕), the lead actress of "Lost Behind the Door" (大宅，門都沒有). Tonight, the reaction of the audience may not have disappointed her at all. Laughter and standing ovations came from everyone watching each scene. Xia mentioned that performers have tried to attract people’s attention by creative atmosphere, because to each audience’s character is different; and thus the actors would like to catch their feelings and emotions.
The lead actor Ni Min-ren (倪敏然) said in a news conference, “As an actor, the most important thing is to have the affirmation from audience.” For instance, when we finished our play in Zhongli, Fu Reh (傅雷another actor) returned to the backstage, sat on the chair and stayed for half an hour. He was deeply moved by the audience’s reaction, they gave him sanding ovations for 4 minutes.” “This helped me to think about my performance.” Fu Reh stated.
Kuang Hong Arts (寬宏藝術工作室) presented "Lost Behind the Door" on Saturday, Dec 18 at 7:30 pm in National Theatre (國家戲劇院). Ni Min-ren happily said, “These shows in Taiwan are the last additional performances before another tour of 30 show in China. We just finished the theatre in Zhongli, and the performance in Xinzhu will be on Jan 15, 2005.”
Ian Mon showed up, hoping Jean Wang to forgivie him
Photo: Vicky Mo
The background of "Lost Behind the Door" was set in 1928. At that time, there were chaos everywhere in China due to internal wars and warlords. A woman, Jean Wang (王克琴) who has had married six husbands, which none survived, went to her old lover, Kylin Ma (馬麒麟) in a troupe. They built a gambling house for living, but Kylin Ma lost his own property. Even the door had been seized. In order to make money, they restarted their original career -- performing. At the premiere, Jean Wang’s sixth husband, Ian Mon (孟恩遠) appeared. In fact, he didn’t die in a battle, so he showed up in front of Jean Wang and asked her to go back to him. The condition of the story became complicated due to the three characters’ wrangle.
Jean Wang was angry, she didn't want to go with Ian Mon
Photo: Vicky Mo
Talking about the title of the theatre, Xia said, “The name of this theatre represented failure and the sense of being lost. People failed to do anything.” She mentioned that this feeling also reflected the real life. As for the character she played, Xia Yi expressed, “Historically, Jean Wang was a real figure, but she didn’t marry six husbands. That’s theatre. People created the story.” “We have plan to do televised series, and these husbands will appear in the teleplay.” Said Xia.
"You should commit suicide if you failed to win the battle," Godot Yo said seriously
Photo: Vicky Mo
At one point, Jean Wand makes her decision. She wanted to stay with Kylin Ma, even the door had been seized
Photo: Vicky Mo
Touring sites of "Lost Behind the Door" in China include Beijing, Wuhan, Tientsin and Shanghai. Performers would speak a little bit Shanghaiese when they make performance in Shanghai.
The last two performances in Taipei will be on Sunday, Dec 19 at 2:30 pm and 7:30 in National Theatre, located at 21-1, Chungshan S. Rd., Taipei (台北市中山南路21之1號) - on the south side of the plaza. Tickets cost NT$400-2000. For more information, please go to the ERAticket website at www.ticket.com.tw or Kuang Hong Arts website at www.kham.com.tw, and call Kuang Hong Arts at (07) 7401526.
Zoltan Papp and Tanya Cunningham, the King and the Queen
Source: www.danceofdesire.com
“There are a lot of tap dance groups in Ireland. Dance of Desire (慾望之舞) is one of them, but the choreography is different from others,” said Miss Zhang, the public relations officer of Jing Yin Art Corporation (靖音藝術有限公司). As for the question why those kind of group came to Taiwan so many times? She said “The famous group River Dance brings tap dance to the whole world; lots of people loved it, including Taiwanese audience. According to the precedent, our company decided to invite Dance of Desire to do performances.”
"Dance of Desire", a new tap dance group in Ireland will give their performance on Dec 11, 12 at 2:30 pm, and Dec 11 at 7:30 pm in Taipei International Convention Center (台北國際會議中心).
Lisa Anderson, the stepmother Aoife
Source: www.danceofdesire.com
"Dance of Desire" is a story based on the power and passion of the Celtic Legends of Erin. In a land before time began, a land of ancient gods, of high Kings and warring Queens. When the wife of the King Lir died, he married her sister Aoife. Due to his great love for his four children their stepmother became insanely jealous and plotted a terrible revenge. It is important for King to protect his children by using the magic Sword of Light from evil wielded by the wicked Queen because the bearer of the Sword bestowed absolute power.
The performance in Taiwan had a lot of creative performing manners and added many colorful decorations. It’s a romantic Irish dance, which combined tradition and modernity. At the same time, "Dance of Desire" filled with energy and charming dancing, including Jazz, Ballet, Tango, and Arab. All the music and body language will inspire your deep enthusiasm.
Miss Zhang said, “It’s the first time for Dance of Desire to come to Taiwan. They are a new dimension group, made their premiere in Dublin by 2003.” She also expressed that "Dance of Desire" had already been to Korea and Malaysia, and players will go to China after they finished performances in Taiwan. The Island is an important target of Asian music.
The tap dance runs performances on Dec 11 and 12 at Taipei International Convention Center, located at 1, Sec 5, Hsinyi Rd, Taipei (台北市信義路五段一號). Tickets cost NT$400-3000 and are available on-line at www.artsticket.com.tw or www.ticket.com.tw. Please call Jing Yin Art Corporation at (02) 23656287 for more information.
The so called 20-feet-high Christmas tree
Phtot: Vicky Mo
National Theater and Concert Hall (兩廳院) gave their annual event "Light up the Night" (耶誕點燈) on Saturday, Nov 27, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. in the National Theater's outdoor plaza (戲劇院生活廣場). It's the third time to present this performance since 2002. In the beginning of winter, the smell of coffee accompanying a 20-feet-high Christmas tree, colorful bubbles, waterscape, and a lot of brilliant Christmas songs to warm people in Taipei. You can enjoy all of them for free.
First, Hand bell group of Dan-Jiang Senior High School (淡江中學手鐘團) used 53 different sized hand bells to present the unique sound. The hand bell group was founded in 1911 and had improved music education nearly 100 years; Semibreve Saxophone Quartet (全音符薩克斯風四重奏) following the hand bell group to play. One child came to the stage just to touch the saxophone wanting to see how it was sounded out of curiosity. Finally, Rong-Shing Choir (榮星合唱團), a 47-year-old group, sang some traditional Xmas songs to warm people's heart. Each performance representing the sound we hear during Christmas. For example, the handbell, originated from England, usually appears in church. A Belgian harpist invented the saxophone, belonging to the brass in 1844, which was later used widely by American jazz music.
The hostess asked some questions about Christmas and informed the audience regarding specific instruments. Everyone attending the activity did not only enjoy the Christmas songs, but also knew more information about music.
Students, lovers, families, foreigners, and children running everywhere, all attended this activity. Three girls from Tamkang University (淡江大學) said "The performance was pretty good, and the atmosphere was warm." An opposite opinion came from Miss Zhong "I thought the length of each program is too long. Performers should play more happy songs, otherwise it makes people sleepy." Mrs. Chen, who took care of her little boy and girl expressed "They loved listening to music, but children don't have patience to sit quietly for long."
In the end of the show all the lights of Christmas tree were turned on, and the fireworks appeared at the same time. One guy was a little bit shocked because of the cracking sound. People ran into the waterscape for fun and got wet after the water gushing out. Some audience promised that they would come here next time no matter whatever source they know this event. Mr. Qiu, a student, asked his classmates come with him said "I found Light up the Night from POTS. I might join the National Theater's outdoor plaza event next year."
People went into the waterscape after the show finished
Photo: Vicky Mo
A Yun (left, Yang Gui-mei play) found A Feng (right, Xu Hua-qian play) have an affair
Courtesy of the director, Lee Chien-chang
After the light turned down, the show "Wind Blow Cloud Gone" (雲淡風輕) started. A woman’s voice came out, she was sleeping, a deep sleep, she didn’t want to wake up, and she could not open her eyes, either. The director, Lee Chien-chang (李建常), expressed that the narrative of this theatre came from one of his classmates in college, who became brain dead because of an unknown fire accident. “I was wondering what she thought? If she had a lover to take care of her, what her life would be? The scene that she laid on the sickbed occurred in my mind, and the story happened.”
Off Performance Workshop (外表坊), a experimental theatre company, gave their performance Wind Blow Cloud Gone on Nov. 20 afternoon at Crown Art Center Theatre (皇冠小劇場). Today is the nineteenth show since Nov 4.
A Feng and A Yun were discussing their future before the fire acident
Courtesy of the director, Lee Chien-chang
The story is about two classmates. The actress found her boyfriend fall in love with the other man when they were preparing the course theatre "Fool For Love" (愚愛). One day, the actor went to the airport to see the man off. At the same time, the actress became unconscious because of the fire accident. From now on, he tried to take care of his girlfriend all by himself, and waited for the unknown future. Three different space-time scenes constituted the show. “It’s easier for me to change the space and time in theatre, when I use the light and music well, we build up certain chemistry with the audience.” The director felt proud of that.
Audience can talk with players after the theatre finished
Courtesy of the director, Lee Chien-chang
The art director provided three colors as the three endings for audience to choose from. There was a small election during the break. The final version of the ending scene would show up according to what the audience voted for. The actor Xu Hua-qian (徐華謙) said, “I would like to play the red one, it’s happier, and the mood would be much better.” “In order to watch different endings, some audience came to Crown Art Center Theatre so many times or suggested other people vote for one specific color.” Lee and Xu thought it was funny. They added these colors that are related to psychology, but they didn’t quite understand the meaning of each one. Only the art director knew that.
As for the organization of Off Performance Workshop, the director and the actor explained that when the theatre group grows, they had the responsibility to adjust audience’s pleasure; sometimes performers might be limited by disturbances. So Off Performance Workshop was founded in 2000 to avoid this constraint. People here just want to create and perform. They said that they hope the audience could get closer with them through these experiments, and choose from the three conclusions is one of them.
Qi Qi (琦琦), one of the characters in the theatre indirectly made the actress become brain dead. The key character is a guy, who had an affair with the actor. “The character was a woman originally, but we could not find the right actress to play the part, so we have replaced a man as the role. We looked back to the script and thought it could be done,” they explained.
Off Performance Workshop presented the theatre “Wind Blow Cloud Gone” in 2001. Due to actor Xu’s insistence, the current event, for example, typhoon, politics this year, the unconscious actress were kept the same. “But those old situation is pretty much the same this year.” the director said with laughter.
“Wind Blow Cloud Gone” was Off Performance Workshop’s repertoire (定目劇) in 2004. The idea of repertoire is from the Off-Broadway, which rented the theatre to perform for a long time. Xu said that Off Performance Workshop brought these conceptions to Taiwan, and hoped the Taiwanese people would accept the subject of performance easily by this generalization and the forever theatre. “National Theater and National Concert Hall (兩廳院) might have the show "the Phantom of the Opera" (歌劇魅影) as the repertoire to make performance in 2006.”
No matter what happens in the future, the ambition to perform won’t change. “Every movement, every training section we were taught at school will appear in the show because the skills have been transplanted in our blood,” said the director.
"Wind Blow Cloud Gone" still have performances from Nov 23-28 at the Crown Art Center Theatre, located at B1, No 50, Lane 120, Dunhua N Rd (台北市敦化北路120巷50號B1). Tickets cost NT$350 and are available on-line at www.artsticket.com.tw or www.pwshop.com. Please call Off Performance Workshop at (02) 26982323 or Crown Art Center Theatre at (02) 2514-8486 ext.101 for more information.
The public relationa officer said that those dresses are really expensive
Source: www.iammissbobo.blogspot.com
This is the third time for the Performance Workshop (表演工作坊) to adapt an Italian Art Comedy personage Carlo Goldni’s author. Goldni is the person who made commedia dell’Arte became reality. Commedia dell’Arte originated in Renaissance in Italy. It’s not the comedy which lets performers do anything they want, this kind of theatre has a standardized way of high skill act. Actors made acrobatics to attract people, and also diversify the performance. The public relations officer Luo La (羅拉) of Performance Workshop said “Taiwanese people love this form of performing. When directors Lai Sheng-chuan (賴聲川) and Zhong Xin- zhi (鍾欣志) changed the original script, they focused on individuality of each performer. As for the content, the spirit and the laughing point will maintain.”
The story of "The Venetian Twins" (威尼斯雙胞案) is about two twin brothers who were departed since they were children. And when they grow up, the two brothers come to the city to find their own love. Mistakes made the story more complex and laughable. There is only one actor to play the twins on the stage, of course they can’t appear at the same time, even all the audience knows it, still they are confused by the misunderstanding. Either the enemy looked for the wrong person or the same condition happened to each brother’s date.
“We already had the project early this year,” Luo La expressed. The Venetian Twins, the annual theatre of Performance Workshop is going to be performed by many theatre freshman, for example, Wei Yi-cheng (韋以丞), who was famous because the show Mumble Jumble (亂民全講); Melody (殷悅), a new blood of pop music. Luo La said “The story happened in Italy, Melody’s background is really adapted to this role cause she grew up abroad.”
After the performance in Taipei, “The Venetian Twins” is ready to make people laugh again. They will perform in Zhongli on Nov 13 - 14; in Kaohsiung on Nov 20 - 21; in Taichung on Nov 27 - 28. Tickets cost NT$270-1620, Luo La said even the tickets sold is not as expected, they are still promoting the show. For more information, please go to the ERAticket website at www.ticket.com.tw, and the Performance Workshop website at www.pwshop.com, or call (02) 26982323.
