Taiwan Renews Artistic Leadership of all its Three National Theatres, Banking on Experience to Navigate the Performing Arts World under the Impact of the Pandemic

Joyce CHIOU, General and Artist Director of the National Taichung Theater (NTT), along with her counterparts – LIU Yi-ruu of the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) and CHIEN Wen-pin of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), have continued in office. The move both acknowledges their stewardship of the venues during the pandemic and signals confidence in their ability to steer Taiwan’s performing arts onto the reopened international stage. 

The decision was announced after the meeting of the board of The National Performing Arts Center (NPAC) on 11 April – the first convened by the new chairman Henry KAO. The NPAC is the first governing body of Taiwan that inaugurated under the unique structure of several performing arts venues operating under one entity, namely the three national venues of Taiwan plus an affiliated performance group, the Taiwan Philharmonic (National Symphony Orchestra (NSO). German conductor Jun Märkl was appointed as the Artist Director of NSO earlier on 1 January. 

Mr. KAO, the third chairperson of NPAC, is the first one concurrently being an entrepreneur. As the Chairman of Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association, Chinese Taipei Business Council of ICC and I-Mei Foods, Mr. KAO manages one of the largest and most beloved food manufacturers in Taiwan. Already a board member and a well-known arts lover and patron, his ascendance into the chairmanship should deepen the relationship between NPAC and society and engage sponsorship of the performing arts industry. He is already lobbying the nation’s Financial Supervisory Commission to expand its “ESG Enterprises Sustainable Development” to include sponsorship of artists and art events.

The chairperson of NPAC Henry KAO (Photo by Tey Tat Keng)

During the meeting, the board discussed the strains that Covid-19 inflicted on the industry. Although Taiwan has kept most venues open and performances ongoing, Covid-related precautions and worries still depressed audience participation and hindered international collaboration. All the venues have adapted to this changed landscape and became nimbler, maintaining both physical and online presences. But as the world reopens, the venues face new challenges in encouraging artists and performing arts groups to create new work, enticing the audience back indoors, and bringing Taiwan’s performing arts on board internationally. 

All three leaders have laid out plans to tackle these challenges. At the National Taichung Theater, said CHIOU, the aim is to build a “Green Theatre” by following the Sustainable Development Goals set up by the United Nations General Assembly; focusing on achieving a more sustainable future for the industry, artists and audience. NTT established a cross-departmental sustainable unit and mandated all future planning, from programming, arts education to productions, to incorporate the concept of sustainability. Furthermore, the NTT building is designed as an ever-evolving green intelligent one. From earning the Green Architecture certificate upon opening, it further reduced carbon emission by 500 tons in its second year. All subsequent renovations were done with green materials. In the future, the NTT will introduce the “ISO 50001 International Energy Management System,” receiving ISO certification and training venue staff to qualify as sustainability managers. At the same time, the enhanced IoT database platform connects in-person service and virtual data, bringing together an even smarter and more environmentally friendly digital ecology. 

National Taichung Theater aims at building a Green Theater © National Taichung Theater

Referring to the building of the NTT, CHIOU also explains that they have been taking advantage of its unique architectural design to create an immersive artistic experience and revolutionise how the audience sees a theatre. For the future, she plans to make “new media arts” the keystone of NTT’s next stage development of atypical theatre, which includes positioning NTT as a “new media audio-visual lab,” creating an art series of international caliber with domestic and international artists, and continuing to advance AR, VR, and AI interactive installation, with the aim of making NTT the hotspot of Asia’s new media arts. 

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NTT also recognises the importance of building a complete performing arts industry chain in central Taiwan and is committed to providing resources to arts workers at every level, from creators, performers, administrators to technical professionals. On the educational front, NTT will build on the success of its LAB X Cross-Discipline Platform and NTT Emerging Artists Project to further ingratiate itself into the campuses and communities. These projects include international forums, interactive experience exhibitions, masterclasses, arts in schools, and virtual experiences. Not only will they nurture new creations but also cultivate the next generation of audiences.   

The General and Artistic Director of National Taichung Theater Joyce CHIOU  © National Taichung Theater

“Based on my observation of our audiences,” said CHIOU, “our theatre has really become part of the community.” She hopes to deepen this relationship and make the theatre a sustainable place where “people and art live side by side.”