The Taipei Performing Arts Center is soon to open its doors for a trial run from March to May to test all three of its auditoriums, Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said on Tuesday.
The 59,000m2 cultural landmark, which cost NT$6.75 billion (US$244.4 million) and took 10 years to complete, would host 15 performance groups and 58 shows during the trial phase from March 11 to May 15, Tsai told a news conference.
“Finally, the Taipei Performing Arts Center will welcome the people of Taipei, and I’m sure a lot of people will be deeply moved and filled with anticipation,” he said.
Photo: CNA
One of the auditoriums that complement the complex’s futuristic design is the Globe Playhouse, a spherical 800-seat theater that resembles a planet. The center also features the Grand Theater, a 1,500-seat venue, and the Blue Box, an 800-seat multiform theater for experimental performances, Tsai said.
The complex has made international headlines, and the center’s opening is considered one of Asia’s most important cultural developments of the year, he added.
The complex is expected to boost Taiwan’s performing arts as it would provide a venue not just for accomplished performers, but also for up-and-coming talent to help them grow, Taipei Performing Arts Center chairwoman Liu Ruo-yu (劉若瑀) said.
“It’s like opening a door for performers at all levels to be able to come in,” Liu said. “We wish to make the Taipei Performing Arts Center an international landmark, where people will come from around the world to watch artists perform.”
The new center soars above the bustle of the Shilin Night Market (士林夜市), famous for its night life and one of the city’s must-visit tourist destinations.
People coming to watch shows would also complement the vibrant commercial activity in the area, center CEO Austin Wang (王孟超) said.
“We hope we can attract more theaters, coffee shops, restaurants and art galleries to pop up in the area,” Wang said.
Construction for the Taipei Performing Arts Center started in 2012, and the building topped out in August 2014. The facility was commissioned by the Taipei City Government to support performing arts groups.
The complex is expected to fully open in July with the official opening in August, the center said in a statement.
More information on tickets for performances during the center’s trial phase can be found at www.tpac-taipei.org.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
RSS