The National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) is Asia’s only theater organization to join a new EU-sponsored initiative that seeks to promote sustainability and environmental protection in theater performances.
The Sustainable Theatre Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift (STAGES), launched on Friday at the Avignon Festival in France, features 14 theaters, 13 of which are in Europe. It is led by the Theatre Vidy-Lausanne in Switzerland and Theatre de Liege in Belgium.
The project, funded by the EU with 2 million euros (US$2.02 million), is seeking to explore ways for theater productions to not harm the environment, and to change the way people put sustainability into practice in the cultural sphere, the alliance said.
Photo: CNA
NTCH deputy artistic director Shih Hsin-yuan (施馨媛) said at the launch event that under the project, her organization hopes to transform itself into a “sustainable theater” that operates in harmony with society and the environment.
A news release issued yesterday by the NTCH cited her as saying that as the global performing arts industry gradually recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, her organization would continue to work with its partners worldwide, and strive to connect Asia and Europe through cultural exchanges.
As part of STAGES, the NTCH would in 2025 host an annual forum in Taipei, seeking to bring together artists, scientists and audiences to engage in a dialogue about promoting a sustainable future, the organization said.
STAGES would see the 14 partner theaters “spend the next four years testing radical solutions to the biggest challenges posed by the climate crisis,” the alliance said in a news release on Friday.
These include having each theater conduct a holistic analysis to identify key areas for change in terms of their buildings, audience, staff, transportation access, food and services, and work-life balance among staff, it said.
The 14 organizations would each put on two shows based on works about the climate crisis, using local casts, local sets and even electricity generated on stage, the alliance said.
The launch of STAGES came as theaters urgently need new ways to become resilient and inclusive after two years of the global pandemic, it said.
“STAGES has a focus on social and environmental sustainability, which is especially relevant for theaters in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as institutions across the [European] continent seek new ways to be resilient and to re-establish a relationship with audiences that have lived through immense social challenges,” Theatre de Liege artistic director and general manager Serge Rangoni is quoted as saying in Friday’s news release.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS