Bertolt Brecht is one of the seminal figures of 20th century drama, but
at first blush, might be regarded as an unusual choice for a performance
in Taipei by the Drama Department of National Taiwan University (NTU).
The Caucasian Chalk Circle will be performed from tonight through Sunday
at the new third floor auditorium - called the Cement Hall (士敏廳) - in
the Taiwan Cement Building on Chungshan North Road, Sec. 2. The play
will be performed in English with Chinese subtitles.
The play is part of the curriculum of NTU's drama department, which was
formed three years ago and has yet to have its first graduating class.
Directing the play is Micki Selvitella, who is currently visiting Taiwan
on a Fulbright scholarship in the performing arts. She is researching
traditional Asian dance and theater.
"As Brecht was influenced by Beijing Opera, he seemed a good choice," said Selvitella, who is interested in integrating the minimalism of
Asian dance into western theater. She added that Brecht, with his
universal themes, would be more accessible to both the cast and audience
than something more culturally distinct.
The play, written in 1944 and originally intended for Broadway, actually
premiered as a student performance. The English translation by Eric
Bentley was given its first professional production in 1948. The Chinese
subtitles for the current performance have been done by Perng Ching-hsi
(彭鏡禧), professor of foreign languages and literature at NTU. The
Taiwan Cement Building is located at 3F, 113 Chungshan N. Rd., Sec. 2
(北市中山北路二段113號3樓). Performances are at 7:30pm today and
tomorrow and at 2:30pm tomorrow and Sunday. Tickets cost NT$200 and
NT$300 and are available through Acer ticketing or at the door.
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