Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-04-02

A local children’s theater company is breathing new life into one of Taiwan’s most popular

The play features one of Taiwan’s most popular comic books from the 1950s and 60s. (CNA photo)

comic books from the 1950s and 60s. A new version, featuring a variety of languages, is set to hit the stage in May.

“One of Taiwan’s very cartoon heroes – Zhuge Silang  – jumps from the pages of a comic book onto the stage. This is the handiwork of a local children’s theater company — Paper Windmill.

The character is part of the collective memory of a generation of Taiwanese, who devoured the comic books in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It went on to become a popular television show, and last year, it was presented as a dynamic show for children.    [FULL  STORY]

The audience does not just ‘see’ theatre, They ‘experience’ it

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/03/26
By:  Maggie Huang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The magical possibility of ventriloquism is enchanted as it makes an inanimate piece of wood and cloth open its eyes and speak.

Collaborating with the Grinnell Institute for Global Engagement, the Riverbed Theatre is presenting its Just for You production titled “ventriloquism” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA) from March 26 to April 1.

Just for You is a series of one-person-audience productions which explores the magical space between fact and fiction of ventriloquism, giving the audience a most immersive and intimate theater experience of the lifetime.    [FULL  STORY]

Variety
Date: March 1, 2018
By: Patrick Frater

The Chinese government has opened wider its theatrical and TV markets to films and

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Colin Galloway/REX/Shutterstock (567494c)
Taipei 101 Tower stands in the Hsinyi district. Completed in December 2004, the 508m high skyscraper is the world’s highest building. Taipei, Taiwan
TAIPEI 101 TOWER IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN – DEC 2005

shows from Taiwan. The moves were announced by mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday, as three among 31 policy initiatives that range from training to education and qualifications.

China says that, with immediate effect, it has removed quota restrictions on the import of Taiwanese movies and TV shows; removed limits on the number of shows Taiwanese talent can appear in; and eased co-production rules.

The policy initiatives are intended as economic sweeteners that could weaken pro-independence forces within Taiwan. Calling the moves “unprecedented,” An Fengshan, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said: “Taiwanese compatriots can share in the opportunities arising from China’s economic development.”

Taiwan has been self-ruled since the 1949 civil war when nationalists fled from mainland China and the advancing Communist army. Both the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China claim to be the legitimate government of all of China. The mainland government considers Taiwan to be a rebel province with which it will be reunited, by force if necessary.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s once-prolific film and television industries have ebbed in recent years, but new business models could help Taiwan compete with Japan and South Korea.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/02/28
By: Matthew Fulco

In late 2001, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hisen’s (侯孝賢) film “Millennium Mambo”

Photo Credit：台北金馬影展執委會

opened in Paris cinemas with great fanfare. MK2, one of France’s top independent film companies, showed the film in its Paris theaters alongside big Hollywood productions such as David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” and Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums”.

“Millennium Mambo” is a departure from Hou’s usual historical works, focusing instead on disaffected youth in contemporary Taipei. The plot meanders, as in most of Hou’s films, but exquisite cinematography makes up for it. In the role of adrift nightclub hostess Vicky, Taiwanese actress Shu Qi (舒淇) shines. She’s effervescent, glamorous, even melancholic. Realistic early-2000s nightclub scenes, where the characters shout to be heard over pounding electronic dance music, will resonate with erstwhile Taipei partygoers.

The art-cinema glitterati didn’t mind “Millennium Mambo’s” thin storyline either. The film not only won three prizes – including best cinematography – at Taiwan’s own Golden Horse Awards, it also picked up awards at the Cannes, Chicago, and Flanders film festivals.    [FULL  STORY]

Chicago Tribune
Date: Feb 27, 2018
By: Lauren Warnecke

“I started Cloud Gate with no professional experience behind me,” said Lin Hwai-min in a

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan will perform “Formosa” at the Harris Theater. (Liu Chen-hsiang photo)

phone interview with the Tribune. The Taiwanese writer began seriously studying dance at age 23 while completing an MFA from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. He formed Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan in 1973 upon returning home to Taipei.

“When I started the company. I wanted to create something of our own,” he said. “I never thought that we would tour around the world. … Life is strange.” In the ’70s, Cloud Gate was the only professional dance company in Taiwan — the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese-speaking country. With a prolific career including more than 90 works, Lin developed his own choreographic style blending Western dance with Eastern ontology. He is an ambassador of sorts, bringing concert dance to Taiwanese people through free public performances hosting up to 30,000 at a time, and bringing Taiwan to us by sharing his work internationally through extensive touring. And at the end of 2019, Lin will take his final bow as artistic director of Cloud Gate, retiring after 45 years at the helm.    [FULL  STORY]

Work is part of exhibition now being held at the URS127 Art Factory in Taipei’s Datong District

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/13
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A young Taiwanese sculptor, Huang Hsi-chen (黃希宸), sits next

Huang Hsi-chen with his artwork. (By Central News Agency)

to an intricate woodcarving he crafted at an exhibition for young up-and-coming artists in Taiwan.

His wood carving is part of an exhibition called the “Young Star Craftsmen Exhibition” organized by the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute that displays handicraft pieces by young Taiwanese artists from a variety of disciplines.

In the sculpture, two mythical phoenixes battle it out in the trees as a guardian lion or “Foo Dog” snarls at the two from below.

The exhibit is being held from Dec. 11 – Dec. 20 at the URS127 Art Factoryin Taipei’s Datong District.     [FULL  STORY]

The Straits Times
November 26, 2017

Stars and celebrities turned up dressed to the nines for the 54th Golden Horse Film Awards, which has been dubbed the Chinese “Oscars”. The awards was held at Taipei’s Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on Nov 25. Here is a look at the winners and the red carpet appearances

(From left) Actress Vicky Chen, director Yang Ya-che and actress Kara Wai posing with their Golden Horse awards, together with the rest of the cast of The Bold, The Corrupt, And The Beautiful. PHOTO: AFP

Best Leading Actor winner Tu Men kissing the hand of Best Leading Actress winner Kara Wai, at the 54th Golden Horse Film Awards on Nov 25, 2017. PHOTO: AFP

Taiwanese actress Vicky Chen, with her Best Supporting Actress award. The 14-year-old also made history as the youngest person to be nominated for the Best Actress award. PHOTO: AFP

[FULL  STORY]