Nature has always been a source of inspiration for the Zen drumming troupe U-Theatre, and this fall, it is inviting the public to embark on a journey to its mountain base in Muzha (木柵), Taipei, for a mountain walk and a performance with a difference.
Every year U-Theatre stages performances at its base on Laoquanshan (老泉山), but it is the first time in more than 15 years the audience will be offered a chance to “experience nature” and “discover one’s true self” on the mountain, according to company founder and artistic director Liu Ruo-yu (劉若瑀).
The Sound of Light will begin right after members of the audience get off the shuttle buses at the foot of the path to the Laoquanshan complex, Liu said.
On the way to the theater, the audience will see the stories of The Ten Ox Herding Pictures unfold in a natural environment, she added.
The Ten Ox Herding Pictures is a sequence of 10 illustrations depicting the stages of Zen practice. It portrays a man’s search for an ox on the mountain.
The writer is said to have been a Zen master during the Song Dynasty (960 to 1279).
During the performance, there will be a real ox on the mountain and special lighting devices, Liu said.
The second part of the presentation will be a four-segment, 50-minute performance.
Unlike the troupe’s previous performances, “light” will play a major role, Liu said.
“We want the audience to “feel the light” on the mountain and in the sound of drumming, she said.
“We want to make a statement that nature is still of vital importance in the 21st century,” she said.
The Sound of Light will be presented from Sept. 15 to Sept. 19.
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