Hung Wei-chu (洪惟助), a professor of Chinese literature at National Central University, is the driving force behind the troupe, which provides opportunities for local kun performers to take the stage and work with guest artists from China.
For the 2009 Taiwan Kun Opera Theatre All Stars (蘭谷名華2009崑劇名家匯演), Ji Zhenhua (計鎮華), Liang Guyin (梁谷音) and Zhang Mingrong (張銘榮) from the Shanghai Kun Opera Troupe (上海崑劇團) are back after their successful visit in April last year. In addition, the program includes US-based kun star Wen Yu-hang (溫宇航), who also appears as a guest in the Ghostly Stunts lineup.
In an interview with the Taipei Times, Hung said the Taiwan Kunqu Opera Theatre emphasizes tradition and continuity, and pointed out that all the guest artists are senior students of a previous generation of kun masters. He said working with them was an invaluable opportunity to consolidate the genre in Taiwan.
Hung compared the company’s relatively modest output with The Jade Hairpin, which has considerable marketing muscle behind it and the additional allure of a young cast in expensively designed costumes. “All our performers, both guests and local stars, have decades of experience,” Hung said, adding that his troupe, which grew out of ongoing efforts to create a graduate school of traditional theater at National Central University, has an academic grounding that surpasses that of other kun groups.
RSS