The revival of kun opera (崑劇) has come a long way in the last decade, and much credit for this must certainly go to the Taiwan Kunqu Opera Theater (台灣崑劇團), which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary with a program of operas and opera highlights at Taipei’s Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台).
Although kun opera is often described as the “mother of Chinese opera,” its foundation in Taiwan is much weaker than that of Beijing opera (京劇), which has long received strong government support. Much of the strength of the Taiwan Kunqu Opera Theater is drawn from national Beijing opera troupes and a few talented amateurs, who find time to broaden their performance repertoire. They are assisted by performers from China — where kun has also experienced a revival — who are regularly invited over by the Taiwanese company. The current program will include performances by the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Theater (浙江崑劇團).
Titled A Gathering of Kun Opera Talent (千里風雲會), the performances are also being held as part of the anniversary celebrations of the National Central University (國立中央大學), which under the leadership of Hung Wei-chu (洪惟助), a professor of Chinese literature who is also the director of the Taiwan Kunqu Opera Theater, has become a center for kun studies. In addition to a special performance at the university last Tuesday, a series of academic seminars including scholars from China will also take place.
Hung said that despite the financial challenges faced by kun opera in Taiwan, considerable progress has been made in breathing new life into this ancient art form. He pointed to the Qing Dynasty opera The Mistaken Kite (風箏誤) — which will be performed tomorrow night — that has been revived by the Taiwan Kunqu Opera Theater. It won high praise when presented at the 3rd Kun Opera Festival in Suzhou, China (蘇州第三屆崑劇藝術節) in 2006.
On Sunday, the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Theater will present its highly acclaimed production of The Tale of the Western Garden (西園記). This, like The Mistaken Kite, is a comedy, and provides ample opportunity to show off the lighter side of kun opera. Tonight, a series of highlights will be presented, showcasing the artists’ skills in well-known scenes from famous operas.
In previous years, the main feature of this annual event has been the presence of “national treasure” and “first grade” artists from China. This year the emphasis has shifted to presenting the new generation of emerging artists whose dedication over the last decade represents the hopes for a long-term future for kun opera in Taiwan.
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