K-Musical Wave in Taiwan Crossing Languages and Borders
Miranda Hsieh(Program Associate, The National Taichung Theater)
Image of the National Taichung Theater
An Arts Hub of Creativity and Imagination
National Taichung Theater not only invites and commissions many great artists from Taiwan and abroad to present their work in the theater, but also provides various resources and platforms for artists to explore with a spirit of experimentation to seek out various creative possibilities. In addition, the theater arranges diverse lectures, workshops, and events to connect artists and their work to audiences.
The annual programming of NTT is divided into three series over different seasons:
Arts NOVA in the spring emphasizes border-crossing creative endeavors and the fusion of various new media platforms, making it possible for audiences to view and experience performances from different angles, immersive experience, usually with a view to participatory experience.
Summer FUN Time features musicals and family-orientated programs appealing to all ages, as well as special events and workshops. The emphasis here is on light entertainment and engagement.
Fall for Great Souls in the autumn presents masterpieces from Taiwan and abroad, as well as creative works that re-interpret the classics. The programming affords audiences innovative perspectives and provides inspiration.
Also, National Taichung Theater provides support to local artists at different stages of their work and is an important platform for emerging artist.
The initiatives are as follow:
The Arts Incubation Projects calls for new work for the Black Box or the Tutu Gallery with innovative methods. It is a two-step project in which applicants who pass the first round receive the funds necessary to develop their work further. Twenty-minute work-in-progress are presented in the second round. Finally, two pieces are featured later in one of the three major programs.
Lab X Cross Discipline Platform is a mentoring program in which veteran artists serve as mentors. Based on creative plans proposed by students, mentors work with them for six months to develop ideas that are later presented to the public. This year, under the objective of new media arts, the program invited Joris Mathieu, the director of Centre dramatique national de Lyon, and his creative partner, Nicolas Boudier as mentors.
The artists-in-residence program is open to artists from all genres. The selected artists are provided with rehearsal space and receive funding from the theater for two years, and they are required to arrange workshops or event that connect to the local community.
Encountering Korean Musicals
Taiwan Press Conference for Musicals Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Fan Letter.
With the success of the Japanese musical Death Note in 2017, the theater decided to feature musicals in its summer programs to expand its theater audience base. Korea, building its reputation on the forefront of the Asian musical market, caught the attention of National Taichung Theater. Hence, in 2018, the theater invited the two Korean musicals Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Fan Letter.Hedwig and the Angry Inch was already well known in Taiwan thanks to a film of the same title, and in Korea it had been popular for over a decade as a licensed musical performance. Not only presenting the Korean version but also the English version to by the Korean-American actor Michael K. Lee, to provide different language choices for audiences.
Fan Letter is an original Korean musical which was new to Taiwanese audiences, but the catchy melodies and visual designs that emphasized the feel of the era became good promotional points that caught the attention of the public. Also, fortuitously, one of the main cast member Lee Gyu-hyeong became popular in Taiwan thanks to the popularity of the Korean TV show Prison Playbook, and that attracted larger audiences.
Because it was the first time that a Korean musical show was performed in Taiwan, National Taichung Theater also hosted a lecture introducing the development of Korean musicals to give audiences an insight into the Korean musical industry. Later, the Taiwanese audience became enamored with the beauty of Korean musical, even starting a trend for Taiwanese to travel to Korea specifically to view musicals.
In 2020, it became difficult to have overseas productions in Taiwan because of the pandemic. As many musicals had been live-broadcast or live-recorded in Korea, the theater decided to play the live-recorded version of Rimbaud and Xcalibur in the playhouse. The two productions showcased the diversity of Korean original creative musicals. The former is a poignant story interweaving the poet’s life and his poetry with a simple set design, and the latter tells the legendary story with magnificent scenes.. Although these were not live performances, they are exceedingly well-received by Taichung audiences. Some fans even handed out hand-made event tickets and photo cards for those who came to the evnets.
Having both Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Fan Letter are medium-scale musicals, the theater decided to take the next step and present a large-scale musical in 2023.
Taking into account various conditions including the schedule, technical requirements and local market, the theater finally chose The Three Musketeers. The musical showcased songs, dances, and well-known Korean celebrities on a large stage to attract non-theatergoers . In addition, the theater invited the director Shin Seong-woo, musical director Brandon Lee, and martial arts director Cho Kwang-hee to host art lectures and swordsmanship workshops to help the audience gain a deeper understanding of the artistic and creative aspects of Korean musicals.
Taiwanese and Korean Musical Industry Growing Together Through Cultural Exchange
Playwright Han A-reum and Composer Min Chan-hong Participating in an Online Musical Lecture in 2021
In 2020, National Taichung Theater signed an MOU with the Korea Musical Theater Association (KMTA) to develop the next generation of musical writers in Taiwan. The musical script project ‘Musical Professionals in Concept Development’ selects five works each year which will receive advice from mentors recommended by the KMTA. The mentors have online meetings with writers to discuss their scripts and offer practical advice. After discussion and development for a period of about a year, two works were selected to be staged after a public play reading. After seeing the selected production Chopped this year, the Korean playwright Gang Nam who is the mentor for 2023 said that “the direction set to the Black Box and interpretation of the actors perfectly express the imagination in the script, and I think this work provides fertile ground for the development of the writeKorean playwright. After viewing the final selection 《手》, he said that “the small theater space in the National Taichung Theater can greatly inspire creators,” and evaluated, “the selection of directors and interpretation of the actors perfectly express the imagination in the script, and I think this work will be a good fertilizer for the development of the writer.”
Invited Direction of The Three Musketeers for Students in Rural Areas
National Taichung Theater has invited mostly musicals produced by Korea. 2023 Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS) is an great opportunity to discover outstanding Korean artwork and meet artists active in different genres, and that we may have an opportunity to introduce various works to Taiwanese audiences, thus enhancing cultural exchanges between artists.
 |
Miranda Hsieh has worked with the programming department of National Taichung Theater (NTT) in Taiwan since 2016. Mainly focused on theater, musicals and dance work. |
PREV
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg','');)
