The stage play “Taipei Notes,” a collaboration between Taipei City-based Voleur du Feu Theatre and renowned Japanese artistic director Oriza Hirata, made its world premiere Feb. 15-16 at the Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama, Japan.
Sponsored by the Republic of China (Taiwan) Ministry of Culture, “Taipei Notes” is set in the near future at an art museum in the northern Taiwan metropolis. According to the play’s producers, the story explores concepts of family and interpersonal relationships in modern society through the conversations of museum patrons and staffers in front of paintings that have been evacuated from a war in Europe.
The piece is adapted from Hirata’s award-winning “Tokyo Notes” that premiered in 1994 in Japan’s capital city. The original play has since been translated into 15 different languages and presented across the world.
During an open discussion between the play’s cast and audience members Feb. 16 at the Yokohama Museum of Art, Taiwan Cultural Center Director Chu Wen-ching praised the show, calling it a great success that will likely promote further collaboration and exchanges between theater groups in both nations. Three performances of the play were held at the event in Japan, each to a sold-out crowd.
Hirata said “Taipei Notes” is the first Mandarin adaption of his work, adding that he hopes to further expose Japanese audiences to Taiwan’s fine actors and actresses.
The playwright also said the Mandarin version is the first of a series of adaptions in Asian languages, which will be incorporated into a new performance of the original play at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“Taipei Notes” will make its Taiwan premiere in September, with the organizers planning additional performances in ethnic Chinese communities around the world, the MOC said.
The Voleur du Feu Theater, which translates to “fire thief” theater, was founded in 2013 and inspired by the Greek god Prometheus. The troupe aims to impact society by performing new productions with a local perspective, as well as adaptions of classical scripts in response to current social trends. (SFC-E)
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