2021 National Taichung Theater – Taiwan International Festival of Arts (NTT-TIFA)

NTT-TIFA has become an important platform for contemporary theatre to celebrate diverse and bold creativity. Breaking all the rules constrained by preconceived notions, the programmes in the 2021 NTT-TIFA presents provocative topics and productions that exceed any generic label, taking audience on a journey of discovery, marveling at technological craftsmanship that provides multilayered perspectives in search of the essence of art.  

Co-produced by National Taichung Theater and Taipei Performing Arts Center, The Man with the Compound Eyes is adapted from an internationally acclaimed novel of the same name, which has just been freshly selected as one of the ten books for “Books at Berlinale” 2021. Directed by Lukas Hemleb, he will incorporate a great variety of theatrical elements including drama play, puppet theatre, symphonic music and multimedia art into the production.  

Lukas Hemleb, the director of The Man with the Compound Eyes © Geoffrey Layton

With extensive use of technology and scientific expertise, HUANG YI STUDIO + Little Ant & Robot presents A Nomad Café with KUKA, transforming sounds and movements into music and dance to redefine the boundaries between art and life.  

HUANG YI STUDIO + Little Ant & Robot – A Nomad Café  © Summer Yen

Japanese multidisciplinary artist and choreographer, Hiroaki Umeda, once again brings his hallmark blend of digital technology and dance to Taiwan. Intensional Particle & Concurrent Sequence create a digital reality of “unstable stability” with lines, lights and figures.    

Intensional Particle © S20

Theatre works such as Cold Blood, On the Edge of Reality and BOOM are infused with poetry and music, drawing on multiple sources that defy easy categorisation. Cold Blood by Kiss&Cry Collective tells the stories of seven unexpected deaths with miniature dance projected onto a large screen amid breathtaking lights and music. Taking inspiration from the classic Chinese texts about monsters, On the Edge of Reality by Puppet & Its Double Theater╳figuren theater tübingen shapes puppets, objects and live images into the monsters of uncertainty that surround us every single day. While multitalented Rick Miller will bring his mind-blowing solo performance BOOM, presenting 100 different characters in 100 minutes all by himself. 

On the Edge of Reality

Stemming from legends and fairy tales recounting the adventures of gods and goblins, Palaces, Fox Tales and Lîng-tsong present pieces that cross from our terrestrial world to the realm beyond. Palaces by Our Theatre presents two installments, Inside Out and Outside In, tracking the mysterious stories and relations of the building’s residents that spans three decades. Lîng-tsong by Piànn-Tiûnn combines exhibition with nine interactive performances that introduce folk art elements into theatre works and reinterpret traditional temple cultures of Taiwan. GuoGuang Opera Company reinterprets Fox Tales, a classic Chinese ghost story with a multimedia infusion, bringing traditional Chinese opera into the cyber age.

Please visit National Taichung Theater’s website for more information: https://www.npac-ntt.org/index