THEATER
In M.E.D.E.A by Theater Unikate from Germany, legendary performer Gilla Cremer plays a spurned woman and mother of two sons who vents her rage and distress through the voice of Medea, the central character in Euripides’ play of the same title. Instead of resorting to murder, she hires a lawyer.
■ Experimental Theater, Taipei City
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$600, available
through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
Dance Exponent Five (舞次方舞蹈工坊) presents its annual project in collaboration with artists from different fields. For this year’s shows the group, formed by professional dancers, engineers, students and housewives, teams up with musician Hsu Hsiang-hao (許向豪) and Fu Tzu-hao (傅子豪), director of Van Body Theater (梵体劇團), to create Temperature (溫度) and Just One, Pick It Up!. Both pieces blend theater, dance, music and installation art.
■ Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre
(牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei City (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
■ Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$300, available
through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
Flower on the Other Side of the Bank (彼岸花) is a gezai (歌仔) opera by the Holo Opera Company (河洛歌子戲團) in which the death of two lovers becomes the catalyst for the resolution of a feud between two tribes.
■ Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號)
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
In Prediction (預言) by Taiwan Drama Performance (台灣戲劇表演家), a university professor suffers from amnesia after being assaulted. But as a detective delves into the case, he begins to suspect that the scenario is all part of the scheme to fulfill the Prediction, a best-selling novel written by the professor.
■ Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館), 505, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段505號)
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,000, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
The Village (寶島一村) takes a nostalgic look at Taiwan’s veterans’ villages, or juan cun (眷村), by following the story of three families from 1949 to the present day. Television producer Wang Wei-chung (王偉忠) teams up with director Stan Lai (賴聲川) to produce a dramatic and humorous work about the communities that did much to shape modern Taiwan.
■ Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Syueshih Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號)
■ Tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,800, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
CLASSICAL MUSIC
2010 Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival — Through the World of Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 (2010高雄春天藝術節 — 穿梭在村上1Q84異托邦) will present the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra (高雄市交響樂團) and pianist Liu Meng-chieh (劉孟捷) performing under the baton of Cheng Chiu-sheng (陳秋盛). The program includes Mozart’s Overture From “The Marriage of Figaro” and Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, Dvorak’s “Carnival” Overture and Janacek’s Sinfonietta.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ Kaohsiung’s Chih-Teh Hall (高雄市文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號)
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,500, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Forum Music Weekend Concert Series — Chang Chia-mi Flute Recital (十方樂集週末音樂會系列 — 張家蜜長笛獨奏會) sees flautist Chang Chia-mi (張家蜜) presenting an unusual program that ranges from Mozart’s Andante in C Major, KV 315 to Fukushima’s Mei and Borne’s “Carmen” Fantasie for Flute and Piano.
■ Today at 7:30pm
■ Forum Auditorium (十方樂集音樂劇場演奏廳), 4, Ln 187, Minzu W Rd, Taipei City (台北市民族西路187巷4號)
■ Tickets are NT$250, available
through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
Marimba’s World From Keiko Abe and Chen Chun-ting (從古代寄來的信 — 安倍圭子與陳俊庭馬林巴琴的世界) presents marimba legend Keiko Abe performing together with Chen Chun-ting (陳俊庭) and the Japanese Marimba Orchestra. Abe will give a lecture and master class at the Yamaha Music Display Center (YAMAHA音樂家展示中心) located at 2F, 18, Nanjing E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市南京東路四段18號2F) tomorrow at 2pm.
■ Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Novel Hall (新舞臺), 3-1 Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路3-1號)
■ Concert tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,200, lecture tickets are NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
CONTEMPORARY
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. No events are scheduled for tonight. Tomorrow the venue hosts off-the-wall pop rocker R.Chord (謝和弦), indie-folk duo katncandix2 (棉花糖) and Hsu Chia-ying (徐佳瑩), a winner from a previous season of the One Million Star (超級星光大道) pop idol show. On Sunday it’s pop singer Shino Lin (林曉培). Performing on Wednesday is ABS (All Blues and Soul), the band of drummer Dino Zavolta, also drummer for Wu Bai (伍百) and China Blue.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Shows start at 7pm tomorrow and Sunday, 8:30pm Wednesday
■ NT$600 (NT$500 in advance) tomorrow and Sunday and NT$400 Wednesday. Prices include one drink. Tickets are available through ERA ticketing, online at www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw or at ibon electronics kiosks at 7-Eleven stores
Post-rock band Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號) appears tonight at The Wall (這牆) to celebrate the release of its latest CD. Tomorrow all-girl rock band Cherry Boom (櫻桃幫) shares the bill with hip-hop group Daximen (大囍門). A quartet of Japanese bands performs on Sunday: punks Locofrank, indie rockers The Band Apart and emo punks Drive Far and Bulimia. Also appearing are Taichung emo and ska group Broken Flowers (碎紙花) and upbeat punks Punkhoo (胖虎樂團).
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1).
Tel: (02) 2930-0162.
On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Music shows start at 8pm tonight, tomorrow and Sunday
■ Admission is NT$500 tonight, NT$400 tomorrow and NT$800 Sunday (NT$600 in advance). Tickets can be purchased online at www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Indie rockers Silver Bus take the stage tonight at Witch House (女巫店). Tomorrow it’s HE (有激人), a singer-songwriter duo on electric guitar and bass, and folk-pop singer Europa Huang (黃建為)
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號).
Tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net:
www.witchhouse.org
■ Performances start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays, 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
■ Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300
Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) tonight hosts rock and jazz fusionists Yellow Funky Stuff. Male-female pop duo JS performs Disney songs tomorrow night. On Sunday it’s Hsiao Nan and Friends (小南 and Friends), a new folk-rock group, and acoustic performer Koumis (蓓麗). Monday is the venue’s weekly open jam session. Popular funk rock band Coach (教練樂隊) appears Tuesday.
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓).
Tel: (02) 2368-7310.
On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 9:30pm tonight and 9pm all other nights. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ Admission is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$350 Sunday and Tuesday, and NT$150 Monday
Tonight Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館) hosts up-and-coming Mando-pop singers GJ, Nese (倪子崗), pop-rap group Cool Silly (傻酷樂團) and Mando-pop group Every Planet (美味星球). Tomorrow’s program features an evening of female rock and Mando-pop singers: Princess Ai (戴愛玲), Shino Lin (林曉培), Waa Wei (魏如萱) and Diana (戴安娜). On Thursday it’s folk rockers Miss Dessy and electronica rock group Frande.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號). Tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8:30pm tonight, 8pm tomorrow, 7pm Sunday, 8:30pm Thursday
■ Admission is NT$400 tonight, NT$600 tomorrow (NT$500 in advance) and NT$400 Thursday. Tickets can purchased online through tickets.books.com.tw or www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse
Kaohsiung indie rockers Orange Doll (橘娃娃) and all-girl punk band BB Bomb (BB彈) play tonight at Underworld (地下社會). Tomorrow expat rockers Homo Jews split the bill with indie group Rowen (再生草). There is no show scheduled for Wednesday as of press time.
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld
■ Music shows run from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed Mondays. Happy hour Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300 Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink, and NT$100 Wednesdays. No cover charge on other nights and after performances end
The Earl Hines II Jazztet appears tonight at Sappho de Base. Tomorrow it’s South African expat pop-rock musician David Vorster and friends. On Tuesday piano, drums and bass ensemble Yohei Jazz Trio takes to the stage. On Wednesday Ash and Friends play jazz on “unorthodox instruments.” The DD Quartet performs fusion on Thursday.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Music shows begin at 10pm. Closed Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance fee for music shows is NT$100 tonight, free on other nights
Tonight Roxy Roots hosts funk rockers New Hong Kong Hair City and alternative rock band The DoLittles. Tomorrow Taipei Latin Soul Band performs live music for the venue’s Fiesta Latino ladies night. Jazz pianist Andrew Page hosts an open jam on Wednesday.
■ 90 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路90號). Tel: (02) 2725-3932.
On the Net: www.roxy.com.tw
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$300 Fridays and Saturdays (NT$200 credited toward food and drinks). Women enter for free on Saturdays
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights this week include beloved female singer Tiger Huang (黃小琥), who performs two sets every Monday, Julia Peng (彭佳慧), a major draw who appears every Tuesday, and male crooner Shin Lung (辛隆), who performs every Saturday.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號). Tel: (02) 2738-3995.
On the Net: visit www.ez5.com.tw
■ Music shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850
The Mercury (水星酒館) in Kaohsiung hosts indie bands every week. This week’s performer is Random 80%, a group that mixes shoegazer rock and pop hooks.
■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, Kaohsiung City (高雄市左營區立文路46號).
Tel: (07) 550-8617.
On the Net: mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Show starts at 9:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$200
VU Live House tonight hosts an evening of drum ’n’ bass with DJs C-Type, Rich, Richie, and Subtle and MC Stoppa.
■ B1, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City
(台北市武昌街二段77號B1).
Tel: (02) 2314-1868
■ Show begins at 11pm
■ Admission is NT$600 for men, NT$400 for women
Taipei Swing holds dance socials on Friday nights at Capone’s, with live music from BoPoMoFo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). Dancers of all levels are welcome, and beginner’s lessons are offered while the band takes a break. Tomorrow is salsa night with live music from Latin on Fire.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號)
■ Live music from 9pm to 11:30pm Fridays, 8pm to 11:30pm Saturdays
■ On Fridays there is a minimum charge of one drink, dancers receive a free drink coupon. On Saturdays the minimum charge is NT$300
HIGHLIGHT
The annual pilgrimage to the beaches of Southern Taiwan starts next weekend, as rock fans and college students will be gathering in Kenting for the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday. The festival that started it all, Spring Scream (春天吶喊), starts April 2 at the Oluanpi Lighthouse National Park (鵝鑾鼻燈塔公園) in Kenting (墾丁), and runs until April 5.
Entering its 16th year, Spring Scream will be hosting around 200 bands from Taiwan and abroad. This year’s international acts include UK hip-hop and jazz group Lazy Habits, Thee Out Mods of Japan and French indie-rock duo Vialka, while Taiwanese performers include hip-hop outfit Daximen (大囍門) and pop-rock duo Nature Morte (靜物樂團). This year’s event also sees the return of The Clippers (夾子), festival veterans favored by audiences for their kitschy rock, social satire and dancing girls.
Discounted prices on tickets are available until Wednesday — visit
www.springscream.com for details. Look out for more on Spring Scream in next Friday’s edition of the Taipei Times.
■Spring Scream at Oluanpi Lighthouse National Park (鵝鑾鼻燈塔公園)
■April 2 through April 5
■Visit Spring Scream’s Web site
(www.springscream.com) for scheduling information
■Prices are for advance tickets on sale until Wednesday are NT$1,560 for a four-day, all-events pass, or as follows for single-day tickets: Friday only NT$600 (NT$500 for students), NT$990 for all other days. Reserve tickets at www.springscream.com and pick them up at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks. Ticket prices increase starting Thursday
■Now is the time to start making travel and lodging arrangements. Official buses run directly from Taipei to the park; on-site hotel lodging and camping are available
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday delivered an address marking the first anniversary of his presidency. In the speech, Lai affirmed Taiwan’s global role in technology, trade and security. He announced economic and national security initiatives, and emphasized democratic values and cross-party cooperation. The following is the full text of his speech: Yesterday, outside of Beida Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽), there was a major traffic accident that, sadly, claimed several lives and resulted in multiple injuries. The Executive Yuan immediately formed a task force, and last night I personally visited the victims in hospital. Central government agencies and the
Australia’s ABC last week published a piece on the recall campaign. The article emphasized the divisions in Taiwanese society and blamed the recall for worsening them. It quotes a supporter of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) as saying “I’m 43 years old, born and raised here, and I’ve never seen the country this divided in my entire life.” Apparently, as an adult, she slept through the post-election violence in 2000 and 2004 by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the veiled coup threats by the military when Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) became president, the 2006 Red Shirt protests against him ginned up by
As with most of northern Thailand’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) settlements, the village of Arunothai was only given a Thai name once the Thai government began in the 1970s to assert control over the border region and initiate a decades-long process of political integration. The village’s original name, bestowed by its Yunnanese founders when they first settled the valley in the late 1960s, was a Chinese name, Dagudi (大谷地), which literally translates as “a place for threshing rice.” At that time, these village founders did not know how permanent their settlement would be. Most of Arunothai’s first generation were soldiers
Among Thailand’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) villages, a certain rivalry exists between Arunothai, the largest of these villages, and Mae Salong, which is currently the most prosperous. Historically, the rivalry stems from a split in KMT military factions in the early 1960s, which divided command and opium territories after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) cut off open support in 1961 due to international pressure (see part two, “The KMT opium lords of the Golden Triangle,” on May 20). But today this rivalry manifests as a different kind of split, with Arunothai leading a pro-China faction and Mae Salong staunchly aligned to Taiwan.
RSS