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Take a stroll down the Silk Road in Taipei

Exquisite hand-made shadow puppets by Turkish artists. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAIYUAN PUPPET THEATER COMPANY

At a small theater on Taipei's west side, Taiwan's foremost puppeteer Chen Xi-huang (陳錫煌) adds a few finishing touches to his glove puppets while the Turkish shadow puppet master Cengiz Ozek discusses how to present the show with stagehands and Robin Ruizendaal, art director of Taiyuan Puppet Theater Company (台原偶戲團).

Fittingly, the international collaboration is about an adventure on the silk road, the ancient cultural highway linking Asia and Europe, as artists and musicians from Taiwan, Turkey and the US contribute their inspiration to the interdisciplinary production combining Taiwan's glove puppet and Turkish shadow puppet theaters, live performances and large shadow screen performances directed by Larry Reed, founder of the Shadowlights Company of San Francisco. (see story below.)

Silk Road (絲戀) tells of the story of two sisters traveling through the silk road from China to Istanbul to find a magical harp that charms silkworms to produce the most beautiful colored silk in the world. From mountain, desert to oasis and spice fair, the girls encounter all kinds of exotic animals, magicians, human traffickers, belly dancers, poets, sages and hobgoblins on their journey.

Two veteran local actresses have taken up the challenge to play the leading roles.

To Ruizendaal and Ozek, the show is a theatrical celebration and exploration of the ancient cultural exchanges that have left an indelible imprint on today's world. "One of my key interests for the play is to see the shared affinity of puppetry traditions in China, Turkey, Egypt and Taiwan," said Ozek, art director of Istanbul International Puppet Festival.

Larry Reed's visionary shadow screen performance creates a world of fantasy and illusion.

A unique and innovative experiment, the production is presented on three stages, one designed for actors, the other two for glove and shadow puppetry. Reed builds on this with his light show, that creates a world of amazing shadows, overlapping images and the illusion of depth.

As for the music, Taiwan's award-winning composer Li Che-i (李哲藝) will team up with Turkish musicians Binnaz Celik and Gunay Celik to stage live performances of the original score mixing Turkish folk songs and traditional Chinese music.

"Our biggest challenge is to integrate all the diverse elements into one coherent play," said Ruizendaal, adding that the production is a first-time attempt to every one involved.

Also new is the ensemble's attempt to offer a lively introduction to the ancient theatrical tradition in Turkey, its exquisite marionettes made out of camel skin and the beloved puppet figure Karagoz, a playful jester who undergoes different transformations in different stories that come from the grassroots culture as a manifestation of the people's voices, ideas and lives.

Theater notes: What: Silk Road (絲戀) Where: National Experimental Theater, Taipei (國家實驗劇場) When: March 22 and March 23 at 7:30pm; March 24 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm; March 25 at 2:30pm Tickets: NT$450, available through NTCH ticketing outlets

Having studied shadow puppet theater since age 11 and played Karagoz for the past 30 years, Ozek is excited to bring life to his favorite character not only through his accomplished puppetry art but as a real human performance on the stage. "I always feel myself as Karagoz. In the shadow puppet theater, I am connected with Karagoz with two sticks, but now for the first time, I am Karagoz," said Ozek, who will bring this creative production to Istanbul International Puppet Festival in May.

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