Theater
Something Between Nothing and Everything (凝視流動) by Comuna de Pedra (石頭公社) of Macao is a performance art piece about family, life and marriage.
■ 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 and Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 6pm
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
When Idiots Seize the Stage — A Guide to Radio Programs (當白目充斥戲劇這行業之廣播製作手冊) by Give Me Baobao’s Open-eyed Theater (給我報報睜眼社) is a variety show of parodies that explores the genre of radio drama.
■ Cafe Philo (慕哲咖啡), 3 Shaoxing N St, Taipei City (台北市紹興北街3號)
■ Tonight and tomorrow at 8pm, Saturday at 2:30pm and 8pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Adapted from Taiwanese writer Tsai Chih-heng’s (蔡智恆) popular novel of the same title, and which was first released in several installments on a Bulletin Board System in 1998, The First Intimate Contact (第一次的親密接觸) tells of a real-life romance between a zhainan (宅男), a term that refers to nerdy guys into manga and computer games, and a girl battling a rare fatal disease.
■ Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中市中山堂), 98 Syueshih Rd, Greater Taichung (台中市學士路98號)
■ Saturday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Scarecrow Contemporary Dance Company (稻草人舞團) presents Miss King (金小姐), a Hoklo-language musical about a young woman’s longing and unrequited love. The production team includes composer Hsieh Ming-yu (謝銘祐) and choreographer and artistic director Lo Wen-chin (羅文瑾).
■ Tainan Municipal Cultural Center Performance Hall (台南市立文化中心演藝廳), 332, Jhonghua E Rd, Sec 3, Greater Tainan (台南市中華東路三段332號)
■ Saturday at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Gay love, sexual infidelity and musings on death are all mixed up in Firefly Theatre’s (螢火蟲劇團) Between Twilight (浮光), which tells of a police officer’s ghost committing suicide every night in Keelung. The production is restricted to adults aged 18 and over.
■ Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihshan Hall (高雄市立文化中心至善堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Greater Kaohsiung, (高雄市五福一路67號)
■ Tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$300 and NT$500, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
Eurasia Orchestra performs tomorrow night at the National Concert Hall. Music includes Georges Bizet’s Carmen Ouverture, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Johann Strauss’ Gypsy Baron.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000, available through NTCH ticketing and 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. Tomorrow night is A Moving Sound’s (聲動劇場) Urban Tribe Dance Party. The world music group plays a rousing blend of musical traditions from the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Taiwan. Rock School on The Road, a free concert on Sunday, showcases indie rock bands from around Taiwan including Blue Blooded Bruder (藍血人), Rosy (玫瑰紅), Black.White.Copper.Brown (黑白銅), Monomania (偏執狂), Black Kids (黑孩子), Bun Wang (王彙筑), Young David (青春大衛), Island of Fire (火燒島), Killjoy and Youth Banana (台青蕉樂團).
■ 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 starts at 8pm tomorrow and 2pm Sunday.
■ Tickets are NT$600 tomorrow. Sunday’s concert is free. Tickets available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw and at ibon electronics kiosks at 7-Eleven stores.
Post-rock bands presidon’t saD, The Eternal Flatliner and Phantasy of Mirage (現象師) play tonight at The Wall (這牆). Japanese rock ground D=Out’s Festa Asia!! tour stops at the venue tomorrow. Post-rock veterans Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號) appear on Saturday and Sunday’s lineup consists of metal bands Flesh Juicer (血肉果汁機), Obsess, Attack Before and NajasH.
■ 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 8pm
■ Entrance fee is NT$400 tonight, NT$1,900 tomorrow, NT$500 Saturday and NT$200 Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Run (跑步) and Rebecca Liu (叡慈) appear tonight at Witch House (女巫店) . Singer-songwriter Zulin Wu (吳志寧) plays tomorrow and Sirius Harmonica Ensemble (天狼星口琴樂團) is on Saturday’s lineup.
■ 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
Indie rockers Monkey Pilot (猴子飛行員) and Tree of Life (生命樹) appear tonight at Riverside Music Cafe (河岸留言). Blues guitarist Shun Kikuta plays tomorrow, while indie pop band AltQQdog (中離狗) and Ground Zero are on Saturday’s roster. Sunday’s lineup is comprised of punk bands Trash and Slimo.
■ 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 9pm tonight, 9:30pm tomorrow night, 9pm Saturday and 9pm Sunday. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site.
■ Entrance fee is NT$350 tonight, NT$450 tomorrow night, NT$400 Saturday and NT$350 Sunday.
Singer-songwriters Jing Chang (張芸京) and Jia Tzeng (曾昱嘉) appear tonight at Riverside Live House in Ximending. Advance reservations are required; call (02) 2311-6767 ext. 481 to 483 or 0-911-605-023 or email e8271412@gmail.com. Pop rockers Tomodachi (偷摸大雞) will play tomorrow, followed by P!SCO on Saturday. Alt-pop singer Waa Wei (魏如萱) hosts a party starting at 12:30am on Sunday.
■ 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 8pm tonight, 8:30pm tomorrow, 7:30pm Saturday and 12:30am Sunday.
■ An advance deposit of NT$500 is required for tonight’s performance and will be returned at the show. Tickets are NT$400 for tomorrow night’s show, NT$400 on Saturday and NT$500 Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse and tickets.books.com.tw.
Underworld (地下社會) hosts the Twisted Legend of the White Snake party on Friday night, headlined by Bowztiger (包子虎) and Shishukong (屍術控). Alt-rock band Guntzepaula (槍擊潑辣) and Mass Man play on Saturday.
■ 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 and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. Sunday’s recording session runs from 3pm to 9pm. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Mondays. Happy Hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance is NT$300, which includes one drink.
Sappho de Base, a late night lounge and jazz venue, hosts Fusion Planet tonight, followed by Mark Kuo’s Neo-Retro Sextet tomorrow night. ADJ Trio plays on Saturday.
■ 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
■ Shows start 10pm tonight and 10:30pm tomorrow and Saturday night
■ Entrance is NT$200
Tonight’s band night at Revolver includes Panzer Warfare, No Order and Hateful Rezpect. Tomorrow’s party will feature Unknown (小人物樂團) and Before Running to Die (在起跑前死掉樂團). On Saturday, the venue hosts Tequila Face, a party featuring performers Johan Vosloo, Dr Reniculous Lipz and the Skalluynz and DJs Colour Wolf and Subtle.
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight, NT$250 tomorrow night and NT$300 Saturday. All fees include one drink.
Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs every Thursday at EZ5 Live House, which hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week ahead include male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), 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
■ Shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Guitar duo Blurrs Bros perform American songbook tunes tonight at Italian restaurant Capone’s. On Fridays, Taipei Swing holds dance socials with live music from electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). On Saturday, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. Iris sings “romantic chansons” Sunday nights and on Wednesdays, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號), tel: (02) 2773-3782
■ Live music from 9pm to 11:30pm on Fridays, 8pm to 11:30pm on Saturdays
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung, hosts live music every Saturday. This week’s roster is shoe-gazing/new-wave trio Fuguko (河豚子) and indie pop group The Tic Tac.
■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市左營區立文路46號), tel: (07) 550-8617. On the Net: visit mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Starts at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$250, includes one drink
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Iron House and The Loss of Youth play tomorrow, followed by D=Out on Saturday.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號). On the Net: pier-2.khcc.gov.tw, www.thewall.com.tw
■ Show starts at 8pm tomorrow and 7:30pm Saturday
■ Entrance is NT$300 tomorrow and NT$1,900 on Saturday.
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
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