Imported shows such as the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, which had been expected to draw crowds, didn't perform as expected. "In the future, we will have to be far more selective," Chiao said. This means more shows such as the recent highly successful Matthew Lien concert, which proved very popular with its nature themes and New Age ambiance.
The same move towards selecting works of popular appeal has motivated Ping-fong's Hugh Li, who says that next year the troupe will revive some of its most popular comedies as a final testing of the theatrical waters, before making a possible permanent withdrawal from the theater.
"The next couple of years look pretty bad," Chen said, adding that Ping-fong has moved to limit its losses given the current environment. "Only in this way will they be able to keep going. But I fear that many theater companies will fall victim to financial pressure."
Chen said that unless theater companies are able to survive this downturn, the effects on Taiwan's nascent theater culture could cut deeply. "When a company closes, the pool of talent disperses. People find jobs in other areas. If this happens, when the economic environment improves, the collected talent is no longer there."
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