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Leprosy, alienation and the human condition are explored further

Alienation and discrimination are found in all walks of life.

From biblical times until the middle of the last century, leprosy was considered one of the most disastrous diseases afflicting humanity. Countless sufferers endured internal exile in lepers' colonies and some were forcibly sterilized.

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease after the scientist who in 1878 identified the bacteria that causes the affliction, is curable and not highly contagious. However, discrimination persists into the 21st century.

Taiwanese sufferers of leprosy are currently locked in battle on two fronts.

Construction plans for the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) include the demolition of Taiwan's only leprosarium, the 70-year-old Happy Life Lo Sheng Sanatorium (樂生療養院) in Hsinjhuang, Taipei County, which would force over 300 patients from their homes.

In the wake of patient protests and petitions, the government is now considering alternative plans.

On a second front, local sufferers of Hansen's disease who were subjected to systematic abuse under Japan's colonial rule over the island have taken their battle for compensation to the courts and won a victory last month when a Japanese judge ruled they were entitled to redress.

Inspired by these struggles, Japanese writer and director Sakurai Daizo penned the play 野草天 堂 (Wild Grass Heaven) -- Screen Memory, which is to be performed at the Experimental Theater tomorrow and Sunday.

A harrowing tale of life on the margins of society it is not. At a rehearsal on Tuesday evening, it was evident that 野草天 堂 -- Screen Memory is more than acting for a cause.

"At a time when nostalgia for Japan's colonial past is on the rise among many Japanese, I wanted to look at the relationship between Taiwan and it's former colonial master," said the playwright who has worked extensively throughout Southeast Asia. "One of the lead characters Oguzi, is both a ghost and a living person who represents how Japan treats Taiwan both economically and politically, today and throughout history."

The ghost Oguzi, a character taken from Japanese folklore, presides over a leprosarium in which the story unfolds. Although no specific reference is made to Happy Life Leprosy Hospital the inference is glaring.

The play dispenses with a linear chronology, frequently switching from the past to the present and back.

After Japan triumphed in the 1905 war with Russia it embarked on a period of imperial expansion. Daizo said his work uses the relationship between nationalism and leprosy at this time to lead the audience to the crux of the play.

"How can we live life in a post-colonial, capitalist society?" Daizo asks.

The group of 12 actors, three of whom are Japanese, came together for this project, but are not part of a formal troupe. Originally scripted as a 2.5-hour play, 野草天 堂 -- Screen Memory has been pared down to two hours and is still undergoing some tweaking.

The group has invited patients from Happy Life Leprosy Hospital to attend the shows.

Performance notes: 野草天 堂 -- Screen Memory
Where: Experimental Theater of the National Theater Hall (國家戲劇院實驗劇場）
When: Tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm.
Admission Tickets are NT$400 available through Artsticket. Call (02) 3393 9888 or visit www.artsticket.com.tw/ for more information.
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