National Taichung Theater puts art at the forefront in the central city.
Over the past two years, the coronavirus pandemic has heavily impacted artists and performing arts centers due to health-safeguarding restrictions consequently leading to event cancellations. Nevertheless, for Sunny Yang (楊乃璇) there was a silver lining, as the dancer and choreographer was one of three artists selected by National Taichung Theater (NTT) in the central city for its 2021-2022 Artists-in-Residence (AIR) program.
“The COVID-19 outbreak forced me to slow down and contemplate my next move,” Yang said. “The residency at NTT came at just the right time and place.” During her master’s degree in choreography, she started teaching and co-founded Les Petites Choses Production in 2014, which aims to cultivate professional dancers and introduce the general public to different dance styles through presentations, participation in street dances and workshops. Yang herself frequently performs in festivals and other events and works as a movement designer and choreographer for stage shows. Born and raised in Taipei City, she considered every trip she took to Taichung an exciting adventure filled with new places to discover and new people to meet.
The multipurpose theater has flexibility to house performances ranging from dance and opera to music and puppetry. (Courtesy of National Taichung Theater)
Nurturing Space
Inaugurated in 2016, NTT is the only national-level performance venue in central Taiwan. The theater provides strong support to resident artists during their creative process. “One major reason I applied for residency here is the amazing architecture with large areas open to the public,” Yang said. “This design aligns with our troupe’s mission of equitable access and high-quality dance education for ordinary people.” The AIR program enabled her to extend her troupe’s community engagement activities from northern to central Taiwan. “The benefits of the NTT residency are enormous thanks to the diverse support, be it administrative, financial or technical. Not to mention, its public spaces cry out for creative, imaginative use,” Yang said. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to further my personal development.” The choreographer’s new work and the fruit of her residency, “Je suis en forme,” will premiere at NTT’s theater on September 23-25.
According to NTT General and Artistic Director Joyce Chiou (邱瑗), the AIR program is designed to foster the creative, intellectual and professional growth of established and emerging artists across various disciplines. AIRs have access to equipment, workspace and generous staff support as well as a monthly stipend and subsidy for a new production. During their stay, documentaries exploring their creative process are filmed and released for domestic and international promotion, an unusual and valuable record of interaction between artist and venue. “The residency program encourages innovation through experimentation with different styles and techniques,” Chiou said. “It allows artists to work in a new environment, away from the restrictions and pressures of their everyday lives.” During the process AIRs are required to connect with local communities by holding performances, organizing workshops or lecturing at schools. “I consider our theater to have a community role and look at the potential for that evolution with our AIRs,” the director said. “NTT should be a public resource, allowing people to appreciate art, relax and rejuvenate.”
The interior of the Grand Theater echoes the curves of the outer structure and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology. (Courtesy of NTT)
Theater Life
At the same time, NTT’s architecture is enticing artists and visitors alike. Designed by Japanese Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Toyo Ito, the structure features cavelike rooms, curved walls, glass surfaces and ducts to let in natural light and air while optimizing acoustics. The six-storey building consists of the 2,007-seat Grand Theater, the 794-seat Playhouse and the 200-seat Black Box. It includes a gallery, a rooftop garden, shops and restaurants together with an outdoor plaza and grasslands.
“Ito’s architectural concept was to incorporate the essential elements for life––that is, air, light and water. We want to echo that in making aesthetics an integral part of the day,” Chiou said. “NTT is a place people love to visit, whether to watch performances, take part in activities or enjoy their leisure time.” By providing welcoming, accessible public spaces, the facility engages closely with local communities, she added. The multipurpose theater is designed to host a variety of performances, from dance and opera to music and puppetry. It is also busy with exhibitions, guided tours, lectures and workshops throughout the year for all demographics.
During the height of the pandemic, NTT implemented physical and virtual countermeasures to minimize the impact of COVID-19. As performances were canceled or postponed, spaces were taken over for digital content production and training programs for administrators, directors, performers and technicians. The theater launched a variety of online events including exhibitions, learning programs and performances to plug the live gap. It revved up social media outreach on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to target young people, attracting approximately one million followers. “We went on making use of our spaces by encouraging artists to create new work, refine it in rehearsals and then stream performances online. There was full technical support for these digital productions to ensure their success,” the director said.
Art education is another of NTT’s main missions, and through leveraging corporate sponsorship, the theater collaborated with over 200 primary and secondary schools, engaging around 100,000 students in performing arts to pique their interest and gain understanding about the relationship between art and technology. The facility actively promotes the use of new media in exhibitions and stage productions by harnessing artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality to offer interactive and immersive experiences for audiences.
Resident Inspiration
Another AIR is Chou Man-nung (周曼農), a director, playwright and interdisciplinary practitioner who creates digital performances. “NTT’s emphasis on technology-inspired projects was a factor that motivated me to apply for its AIR program,” Chou said. “I’m grateful for the all-round support I had through each stage, from creation to presentation to promotion, during my residency.” The artist said NTT’s technical department provided support throughout the production process, addressing her needs and showing respect for her ideas as she learned how to integrate technology in order to increase the impact of performance and visual art. Her new work “Detective Deduction,” combining an exhibition and drama with sound, visual images and motion-generated objects, was staged at the NTT theater August 3-7.
Visitors are unselfconscious about relaxing in the airy, vaulted public spaces within the complex. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
Like Yang, Chou said the drama of NTT’s interior and exterior spaces inspired her to greater conceptual flexibility and exploration. “NTT is open to the public not only for stage shows but also for just hanging out or joining in activities,” Chou said. “I get a lot of inspiration from the actual building, thinking about how to make my work relate to the structure while being more accessible and whether the piece is something that will push community engagement and participation.”
Chou, also from Taipei, considered the NTT residency a great opportunity to explore Taichung and has become increasingly attached to the city through interaction with locals in lectures and workshops. “The NTT residency has been an enjoyable and rewarding experience in absolute creative freedom and reaching out to new audiences,” she said. According to the artist, what sets NTT’s AIR program apart from other performance centers is that selection is made through an inclusive and equitable process rather than by invitation. “NTT takes into account records of excellence and innovative project proposals,” she said. “Its AIR is open to all visual and performing artists, composers, writers and theater directors in Taiwan, rather than limited to those living in Taichung.”
Since its opening, NTT has become a haven for both residents and visitors and is now the city’s most iconic cultural landmark thanks to its avant-garde design, convenient location and large, open spaces. Laura Chang (張淑晴), a Taichung local who recently enjoyed an exciting performance right on her doorstep at NTT, said the high-end equipment offers exceptional audiovisual experiences. “Our city finally has a top-notch performing arts center with equal focus on quality and comfort for the audience. Its world-class facilities will attract famous artists, musicians, singers and theater groups to our city,” she said. “Plus, it’s a nice place to learn something new, take a stroll or browse artsy stores over the weekend.” Based on this satisfied audience member accolade and the lively atmosphere around the unique structure, Director Chiou has certainly met the goals for NTT.
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw