Theater
National Guo Guang Opera Company (國立國光劇團) revises its Journey Through Hell (閻羅夢．天地一秀才), a Beijing Opera based on the classic Chinese novel of the same name written by Chen Yaxian (陳亞先). Guo Guang’s Wang An-chi (王安祈) transforms the original work into a sumptuous performance that emphasizes the philosophical underpinnings of the original.
▲National Theater, Taipei City
▲Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,500, available through NTCH ticketing
Two love stories intersect in Off Performance Workshop’s (外表坊時驗團) latest work We’ll Return Home This Morning to the End of the World (今天早上我們回家•直到世界盡頭).
▲Huashan Cultural and Creative Industry Center (華山創意文化園區), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
▲Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm; tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing
Taiwan’s expulsion from the UN in 1971 serves as the background for Ping-Fong Acting Troupe’s (屏風表演班) latest work Stand by Me (六義幫). Written and directed by Hugh Lee (李國修), the story follows six youths who use an air raid shelter as a meeting place to discuss their roles in history
▲Sun Yat-sen Hall of National Sun Yat-sen University Art Center (高雄中山大學逸仙館), 70 Lienhai Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市蓮海路70號)
▲Tonight at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing
The Little Matches Girl (賣番仔火的小女孩) by Taiyuan Puppet Theater Company (台原偶戲團), tells the story of a greedy grandmother who forces her granddaughter to work in a factory that makes matches. The girl befriends a little boy and together they discover that the matches are alive. One night, a disaster threatens the lives of both children and their match friends.
The Saisiyat tribe’s biennial Festival of the Little People (矮靈祭), starts tonight in Wufeng (五峰) Township in Hsinchu County and Nanchuang (南庄) in Miaoli County. The festival pays tribute to a race of dark-skinned short people that according to legend once populated Taiwan. The Saisiyat believe they wiped out the “little people” and must put this curse to rest with a ceremony where participants drink rice wine, sing and dance in rituals that last from dusk to dawn for three consecutive days.
While the Nanchuang ceremony is known for its commercial tilt with a night-market atmosphere, the Wufeng event takes a more spiritual approach. The beginning rituals are held in private and the first set of dances are restricted to Saisiyat tribe members, but the festival opens to the public later in the evening. The event has become a popular tourist attraction, with 10,000 people attending the 2006 ceremony in Wufeng.
A few traditional rules for visitors: no bickering so as to maintain a harmonious atmosphere; wear a stem of silver grass (芒草) to ward off bad spirits; photography is allowed but only outside of the ceremonial circle.
For more information: Call the Wufeng Township Administration at (03) 585-1001 or the Nanchuang Township Administration Office at (03) 782-3115. For information in English for the Wufeng ceremony, e-mail sean_kaiteri@hotmail.com or call 0930-029-8426.
▲The Saisiat Festival of the Little People
▲Tonight until Sunday
▲Restroom facilities and camping space (NT$200 per tent) available at Wufeng
▲Nadou Theater (納豆劇場), 79 Xining N Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧北路79號)
▲Tomorrow at 3pm
▲Tickets are NT$200, available through NTCH ticketing
Lu Junyi (盧俊義) is a puppet performance by I Wan Jan Puppet Troupe (亦宛然掌中劇團) and is based on the character of the same name from the Chinese classic the Water Margin (水滸傳), who was renowned for his skills in martial arts.
▲Guandu Arts Museum (關渡美術館2樓), 1 Xueyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市北投區學園路1號)
▲Tomorrow at 7:30pm; Sunday at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$300 to NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
Ouyang Ling-yi and Su Meng-feng Cello and Guitar Duo Recital (歐陽伶宜、蘇孟風 ∼ 大提琴與吉他二重奏), brings cellist Ouyang Ling-yi (歐陽伶宜), who graduated from the doctoral program in music from Michigan State University, East Lansing and Su Meng-feng (蘇孟風), a 2005 winner in the UFAM International Classical Guitar Competition, together in two concerts this week to perform a program that includes the Taiwan premiere of Ourkouzounov’s Tanzologia, Falla’s Cinqo Canciones Populares and Danza No.1, Villa-Lobos’ Aria, Gnatalli’s Sonata for Cello and Guitar, and other works.
▲Sunday at 2:30pm (Hsinchu) and Wednesday at 7:30pm (Taipei)
▲Hsinchu Municipal Auditorium (新竹市文化局演藝廳), 17 Tungta Rd Sec 2, Hsinchu City (新竹市東大路二段17號); National Recital Hall, Taipei City
▲Tickets are NT$300 for the Hsinchu concert and NT$300 to NT$1,000 for Taipei, available through NTCH ticket outlets
Fly With the Wind — Masters With NSO Concert Series (名家與NSO的對話系列 — 記憶的風景) will feature the Austrian violinist Benjamin Schmid, who has been widely praised in both classical and jazz circles. The NSO will be led by guest conductor Adrian Leaper, who is currently director of the Spanish Radio TV Symphony Orchestra. The program will include Janacek’s Jealousy, Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No.2 in D Minor, Op.22, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.3 in A Minor Op.56.
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