Established in 2005 by former members of Taiwan’s U-Theatre (優人神鼓), Mobius Strip Theatre (莫比斯圓環創作公社) focuses on the spiritual aspect of life and finding ways to translate it through theatre. The company’s latest production, In Search of the Hidden Treasure, tackles Ten Ox Herding Pictures (十牛圖), a Zen Buddhist lesson comprising a series of short poems and accompanying pictures that illustrate the 10 stages to enlightenment.
Based on Chinese Zen master Kuoan Shiyuan’s (廓庵師遠) 12th-century version, the theatrical presentation of the Buddhist drawings is divided into three segments. Each is performed at a different part of the Lujhou Lee residence (蘆洲李宅), a place of historical interest built in 1857 that consists of three traditional siheyuan (四合院) buildings, an architectural style of family homes with a square-shaped house and a courtyard in the middle.
The residence’s more than 150 years of history form part of the troupe’s performance.
Photo courtesy of Mobius Strip Theatre
“The history of the Lee residence reflects Taiwan’s modern history. Exploring history, both personal and collective, is to ask who I am. To me, it matches Zen teachings,” director Alex Cheung (張藝生) said. “I feel [Ten Ox Herding Pictures] centers on the notion of searching, which can be applied to all aspects of life: career, relationship, one’s identity.”
The first part of the performance takes place in the front yard and consists of performers playing out their searches in life as characters including a playwright, a businessman, an Aborigine and General Lee You-pang (李友邦) from the Lee family, who advocated Taiwanese independence during the Japanese colonial era and was killed during the White Terror. The segment ambitiously mixes the collective and the personal, ranging from Aboriginal myth and modern history to a woman’s search for love and a playwright’s dilemma. Unfortunately, judging from a pre-debut performance last week, the opening appears to be a cacophonous hodgepodge that leaves viewers more confused than captivated.
After the discordant start, the audience is led inside the house for musical performances that occur simultaneously in different courtyards. On one side, Canadian artist Maggie Blue O’Hara and Aboriginal crooner Chen Ying-tao (陳英桃) chant ancient tunes. On the other, an ensemble plays the Tibetan singing bowl, Chinese gong and morin khuur, a Mongolian horse-headed fiddle.
The two-hour long production ends with a yueqin (月琴, “moon lute”) performance, a U-Theatre-like drumming session and a presentation of sand painting. This was one of most pleasant moments of the preview as the audience was offered cups of tea while savoring the performances outdoors in the late summer sun.
Mobius Strip Theatre is no stranger to collaborating with artists from different fields. Its theatrical work 2012, which premiered at the Jinmei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park (景美人權文化園區) three years ago, is composed of seven pieces based on the seven chakras, or energy points, and was created by seven artists. But with In Search of the Hidden Treasure, which features a big group of performers and artists from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Canada, one cannot escape the feeling that this is more new age carnival than a coherent show.
A word of warning: If you go, avoid wearing flip-flops or sandals — the ants on the lawn can be fierce.
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