A group of traditional Taiwanese puppet theater companies yesterday asked the Tainan City Government to allow them to perform at temple festivals, as the troupes have been unable to stage shows amid a level 3 COVID-19 alert in effect since May.
Tainan City Councilor Chen Yi-chen (陳怡珍) of the Democratic Progressive Party said he received a petition from the groups, led by the Goodoo Puppet Troupe (古都掌中劇團), calling on the city to permit small-scale puppet shows as COVID-19 restrictions are eased.
These performers need shows to survive, as they could go bankrupt after not performing over the past two months, Chen said.
Photo courtesy of Tainan City Councilor Chen Yi-chen
Budaixi, or glove puppetry, is a traditional Taiwanese folk art that is often stage performed during temple festivals.
Tainan Civic Affairs Bureau Director Chiang Ling-huang (姜淋煌) said that while some restrictions have been eased, the level 3 alert remains in effect.
“If we allow outdoor events for traditional puppetry, it would run counter to current regulations,” he said.
Tainan Cultural Affairs Bureau Director Yeh Tse-shan (葉澤山) said his agency would assess ways to allow for outdoor shows.
Proprietors of puppet troupes said the government’s ban is due to concerns of large crowds gathering at temples, so they prohibited Taiwanese opera and puppet shows.
“The thing is that puppet theater is small-scale, the purpose of which is to entertain the gods at temple events. Puppet shows nowadays have a different function than other cultural events; usually, not many people gather to watch, as they are staged to thank the gods residing at that temple,” one proprietor said. “We would like to urge the government to enable us to survive- by permitting shows.”
More than 60 puppet companies have signed the petition asking for central and local authorities to help them, Chen said.
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