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Coming down from the mountain

By Gavin Phipps
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Dec 01, 2001, Page 11

PHOTO: COURTESY OF U THEATRE

Based out of an isolated mountain retreat located on Laochuan Mountain (老泉山) in the Taipei suburb of Mucha, Taiwan's U Theatre (優劇場) is one of the nation's most reclusive performance troupes.

Since its founding in 1988, U Theatre has ventured down form its mountain hideaway on only a couple of dozen occasions. The most memorable of which took place in 1996, when the troupe set out on a 600km odyssey that saw them traversing the island's mountainous hinterland on foot and performing at temples scattered throughout the central mountain range.

Under the guidance of artistic director and founder Liu Ching-ming (劉靜敏), early U Theatre performances bordered on the avant-garde. The troupes' shows were a hybrid of Peiguan opera, traditional drumming parades, ceremonial striding and even stilt walking.

The troupe was experimenting with traditional lion-dance drumming in the early 1990s. At that time, percussionist Huang Chih-wen (黃志文) returned from a spiritual retreat in India and brought back with him the concept of "sacred drumming" (神鼓). The idea helped define the troupe and led to their quixotic and hermitic image.

"I guess living as we do in the mountains has led itself to the mystery that surrounds us," said Coai Lin (林益慶), U Theatre's manager. "But it's really the only place we can live. There we can prepare ourselves both mentally, physically and spiritually in a natural and unpolluted environment."

The troupe follows a strict lifestyle. There's no skulking off to the bar between rehearsals for troupe members. Instead, martial arts and meditation play a major part in the daily lives of the troupe.

"Physical and mental wellbeing go hand-in-hand with our performances," said Lin. "Our performances aren't easily explainable shows with a story line. We use percussion as a base, but the true meaning of the show lays within the mood projected by the players."

Lifestyle isn't the only aspect that sets U Theatre apart from its theatrical peers. Unlike other groups who stage two or three productions annually, U Theatre restricts itself to one fresh production every couple of years.

Since Huang revamped U Theatre in 1993, the troupe has only produced four original works: U Theatre Sacred Drumming (優人神鼓. 1994), Voyage of Self Discovery (心戲之旅, 1995), Days of Planting Flowers (種花的日子, 1997) and The Sound of the Ocean (聽海之心, 1998).

"We don't see the need to produce a new show every year, as we believe that, before we can move on, we must ensure that we have explored all aspects of previous shows," said Lin. "We're still honing and performing The Sound of the Ocean.

Although U Theatre will not be premiering Meeting with Manjusri Bodhjsattva until mid-December, the limited number of performances, coupled with the troupe's immense popularity, mean that tickets are selling quickly.

Performance Notes
What: Meeting with Manjusri Bodhjsattva (持劍之心)
When & Where: The Hsinchu Cultural Center (新竹市立文化中心) on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 and at Taipei's Novel Hall (新舞臺) Dec. 18 to Dec. 21. All shows begin at 7:30pm.
Tickets: Tickets for Hsinchu performances cost from NT$400 to NT$1,000 and for Taipei shows from NT$400 to NT$1,200. Tickets for both venues are available through all national ticketing outlets.
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