"Taiwan Week," an international platform to promote the nation's performing arts and cultural exchanges, opened yesterday with curators from 22 countries around the world participating, the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) said.
"Taiwan Week 2025 is more than an artistic showcase; it is an engagement in meaningful dialogue about society, culture and the future," NTCH general and artistic director Liu Yi-ruu (劉怡汝) said at the event's opening ceremony.
Photo courtesy of the National Theater and Concert Hall
This year's program features 15 productions that exemplify innovation in contemporary theater while addressing pressing social and cultural issues, Liu said.
She also said that the biennial event creates opportunities for Taiwanese artists to engage with curators from around the world.
The works are based on the themes of transitional justice, gender, self and culture, emerging technologies and environmental sustainability, the NTCH said.
Among the highlights is The Man Who Couldn't Leave (無法離開的人), an immersive film that allows the audience to observe their surroundings through virtual reality (VR).
Directed by Singing Chen (陳芯宜), this VR film tells the stories of several political victims from the White Terror era, which lasted from 1949 to 1992.
Meanwhile, The Queen with No Name (女王的名字) is a theater show created by Wei Hai-min (魏海敏) and Wang Chia-ming (王嘉明) that centers on the Empress Dowager Cixi during the Qing Dynasty.
This year's event welcomes the presence of 48 renowned curators and artistic directors from 22 countries, including Yusuke Hashimoto from Japan and Pedro Penim from Portugal's D. Maria II National Theatre.
In addition to the 15 productions, several forums with keynote speeches focusing on a wide range of issues would also be held during the weeklong event that runs until Saturday.
Taiwan Week is being held at five different venues in Taipei and New Taipei City, including the Taiwan Traditional Theater Center and the National Human Rights Museum.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS