| Highlight | |
| Alternative theatrical troupe Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group (莎士比亞的妹妹們的劇團) teams up with theater director Baboo to present Sylvia Plath, a stage play about the American poet who is also known for her semi-autobiogrqahpical novel The Bell Jar. Respected stage actress Hsu Yen-ling (徐堰鈴) will play the title role of Plath. The play takes an insightful look at the final day of the poet’s life before she committed suicide aged of 31, and examines the relationship between pain and creativity and the necessity of the former to achieve perfection in the latter. All Taipei performances are sold-out but audiences still have a chance to catch the performance when it travels south to Tainan’s Eslite Bookstore (台南誠品書店).
▲ Taipei performances: Taipei National University of the Arts (國立臺北藝術大學) 1, Xueyuen Rd, Beitou Dist, Taipei City (北市北投區學園路1號). Tainan performances: Eslite Bookstore, Tainan (台南誠品書店), B2, 181 Chungjung St Sec 1, Tainan City (台南市長榮路一段181號B2)
▲ Taipei performances are today, tomorrow and Sunday at 8pm and Sunday at 2:30pm; Tainan performances are April 25, April 26 and April 27
▲ Tickets are NT$500 for Taipei performances and NT$400 for Tainan performances |  Creativity requires pain in Sylvia Plath, a performance by Shakespeare's Wild Sisters Group. PHOTO COURTESY OF SWSG |
Theater
Say Goodbye, Again (再說˙再見) by Open Theater (大開劇團) is a work eminently suited to Taiwan’s education system whereby audiences are meant to leave the theater educated as well as edified. The play investigates metaphorically, symbolically and literally, six different ways to say goodbye — whether to a friend or a negative personal characteristic.
▲ National Experimental Theater, Taipei City
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$400 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Cloud Gate Dance Theater (雲門舞集) will perform Song of the Birds (鳥之歌) as part of its Spring Riot (春鬥) tour. Song of the Birds, choreographed by Cloud Gate founder Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), is set to Spanish cellist Pablo Casals’ piece of the same name (El Cant dels Ocells).
▲ Cultural Affairs Bureau of Hsinchu County (新竹縣文化局演藝廳), 146 Hsiancheng 9th Rd, Chupei City, Hsinchu County (新竹縣竹北市縣政九路146號)
▲ Today at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 3pm
▲ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$900 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Into the Ruins (闖入，廢墟) by Assignment Theater (差事劇團) tells the story of a revolutionary poet who struggles to maintain his sanity in the face of a war caused by a superpower’s lust for oil.
▲ Southern Wind Theater (南風小劇場) 4F, 107, Chunghsiao 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市忠孝一路107號4樓)
▲ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and tomorrow at 2:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$300 and are available through NTCH ticketing
The Pink Dragon (粉紅龍) is a children’s puppet performance by PUK Puppet Theater Company (普克木偶劇團) and is a coming-of-age story about a young dragon. Cultures throughout history have used rites of passage as a means of changing an individual’s social status. Dragons also have a rite of passage for young male dragons: entering human dreams and turning them into nightmares. And so it goes that a young dragon wanting to enter the world of adults has to undergo this rite of passage. Rather than frighten, however, the young dragon befriends the young boy whose dream he enters.
▲ Taipei City Family Theater (台北市親子 劇場), 2F, 1 Shifu Rd, Taipei City (台北市市府路1號)
▲ Tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and Sunday at 7:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$300 and NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
P.I.G. by Morning Star Theater (晨星劇團) tells the story of how the inhabitants of a quiet village in the middle of a forest encounter a natural disaster and manage to pull through by pooling their resources.
▲ Keelung Cultural Center (基隆市文化中心), 181 Xinyi Rd, Keelung City (基隆市信一路181號)
▲ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$500 and are available through NTCH ticketing
Classical music
Meng-Ping Wu Violin Recital (吳孟平小提琴演奏會) sees the local musician present a program that includes Korngold’s suite Much Ado About Nothing, Op.11, Bernstein’s Serenade (1954), arranged for violin and piano, and Richard Strauss’ Sonata in E-Flat for Violin and Piano, Op.18.
▲ Today (Yuanlin), tomorrow (Kaohsiung) and Sunday (Taipei)
▲ Yuanlin Performance Hall (員林演藝廳), 99, Ln 2, Chungcheng Rd, Yuanlin Township, Changhua County (彰化縣員林鎮中正路二巷99號), National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Kaohsiung City (高雄中正文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號), and the National Recital Hall, Taipei City
▲ Tickets are NT$100 in Yuanlin, NT$100 and NT$200 in Kaohsiung and NT$200 to NT$500 in Taipei; available from ERA ticketing
Chipin & Kaiya International Jazz Quintet 2008 Taiwan Tour (啟彬與凱雅國際爵士五重奏2008台灣巡演) features the international jazz lineup of Hsieh Chi-pin (謝啟彬) and Chang Kai-ya (張凱雅) from Taiwan on violin and piano, John Ruocco from the US on saxophone and clarinet, Bart de Nolf from Belgium on bass and Mimi Verderame from Italy on percussion. More information about Chipin and Kaiya can be found at their Web site at www.chipin-kaiya.com/project/mrbebu.
▲ Tomorrow at 8pm
▲ Taichung Corridor Cafe Theater (文英館迴廊咖啡劇場), 10-5 Shuangshih Rd Sec 1, Taichung City (台中市雙十路一段10-5號)
▲ Tickets are NT$500 and are available from ERA ticketing
Handel’s Messiah (2008韓德爾神劇 — 彌賽亞演唱會) features the Han Sheng Chorus (漢聲合唱團) presenting one of Western music’s most popular and enduring works.
▲ Sunday at 7:30pm
▲ National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Kaohsiung City (高雄中正文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號)
▲ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$800 and are available through ERA ticketing
Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc (聖馬克兒童合唱團) have dazzled audiences around the world with their singing and are now regarded as one of the best children’s choirs currently performing. The concerts tonight at the Hsinchu Municipal Performance Hall (新竹市立演藝廳) and tomorrow at the National Concert Hall, Taipei City have already sold out, but tickets are still available for concerts later in the week.
▲ Tuesday (Kaohsiung), Wednesday (Tainan) and April 24 (Taichung) at 7:30pm
▲ National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Kaohsiung City (高雄中正文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號), Tainan Municipal Cultural Center Performance Hall (台南市立文化中心演藝廳), 332 Chunghua E Rd, Sec 3, Tainan City (台南市中華東路三段332) , Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中中山堂), 98 Hsuehshih Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號)
▲ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000 and are available through ERA ticketing
The Road of Silk with IIIZ and New Zheng Music (絲之路 — IIIZ+的東亞新箏樂) features a fusion of lute-style music from China, Japan and Korea, presenting a contemporary interpretation of three classical traditions. This concert is part of the 2008 Traditional Arts Festival (2008傳統藝術季).
▲ Today at 7:30pm
▲ Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
▲ Tickets are NT$200 and are available through NTCH ticketing or from the venue
Orchestral Music Works by Local Composers — Strings and Woodwind (國人作品 — 管絃樂篇) will feature the Taipei City Symphony Orchestra (臺北市立交響樂團) performing a program of works by local composers.
▲ Today at 7:30pm
▲ Taipei Zhongshan Hall (台北市中山堂), 98 Yenping S Rd, Taipei City (台北市延平南路98號)
▲ Tickets are NT$200 to NT$800 and are available through NTCH ticketing or from the venue
Contemporary
Underworld (地下社會) hosts crowd-pleasing expat funk combos Public Radio and New Hong Kong Hair City tonight. Tomorrow night is the first major concert organized by party crew Back 2 the Future (B2TF). It features Canadian electro-rock group Dandi Wind, girl elctro-clash group Go Chic and alt-rock/electronica band The Shine & Shine & Shine & Shine. At the concert, B2TF will hand out free copies of its first CD, Vol One, a compilation of 12 tracks including songs by Dandi Wind, Fish and White Eyes (白目), which were played at B2TF’s DJ party last Sunday at Underworld. (Copies of the CD will be available at Underworld and Mo!relax cafe after tomorrow.) Advance tickets for this event are sold out. There will be an after party with DJs Mu and Exploded (Pink) Yodas. On Sunday, the basement bar is hosting an event called the Mysterious Party of Kou Chou Ching and Children Sucker (緊急動員神秘趴踢). Children Sucker (表兒) is a pop-punk group that won the battle-of the-bands competition at last year’s Ho-Hai-Yan music festival. Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤) is a Hakka group that mines traditional beiguan (北管), nanguan (南管), Hakka bayin (客家八音), mountain songs (山歌), Taiwanese opera, folk songs and oldies for a unique Taiwanese brand of hip-hop. Then on Wednesday, it’s Abay (阿焙), who sings ballads accompanied by acoustic guitar, harmonica and flute, and Paper Airplane (紙飛機).
▲ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Call (02) 2369-0103 or visit www.upsaid.com/underworld for more information
▲ Bands start playing after 9pm. The bar is open from 8pm daily, except Mondays
▲ Entrance tonight and Sunday is NT$300 and includes one drink. Wednesday’s cover is NT$100 but does not include a free drink. Entrance tomorrow is NT$500 and includes one free CD. Before midnight on Tuesdays and Thursdays, drinks are buy-one-get-one-free
Tonight it’s Open Decks at Bliss, a free monthly event featuring professional deejays and “anyone else willing to share quality music.” Those interested in taking their turn on the ones and twos should bring their records and ask for deck time. Spinning tonight are DJs Matt Ward, Nonsensii, Ju (菊) and Sticky Tea. Tomorrow, PPF House presents After the Scream, “an intimate night of breaks/beats/bruising,” featuring rapper, producer and spin-doctor Leo37, DJ Charles, Sofa King Red and solo trip-hop artist Claire Juan (阮筱芬). Peacefest organizer and member of The Anglers Scott Cook plays on Wednesday [see story above].
▲ 148, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段148號), one block east of Dunhua South Road (敦化南路). Call Bliss at (02) 2702-1855 or log on at www.bliss-taipei.com. For more information on live performances at Bliss, go to www.myspace.com/blisslivehouse
▲ Tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday at 10pm. Bar/kitchen open from 7pm daily. Ladies night Fridays; women get one free cocktail of their choice. For Open Decks, NT$100 San Miguel and Tsingtao beers all night.
▲ Entrance to the bar is free. There is no cover for Open Decks. NT$200 cover for tomorrow and Wednesday’s music shows
Taiwanese-American Mando-pop star Joanna Wang (王若琳) performs tonight at The Wall (這牆), along with Mrs This (這位太太). Wang’s debut Start From Here has been among the top five on the Mandarin album charts since its release in February. Before that, she was a regular fixture at Riverside, where she sang jazz covers and played acoustic guitar. Then tomorrow, three-piece, keyboard-driven combo and local indie scene darlings Tizzy Bac — which got their start at Spring Scream in 1999 — bring their brand of Saint Etienne-inspired alt-pop to The Wall. Also making an appearance is Transition. On Sunday, Diedao Nanhai (跌倒男孩) and Chord (謝和弦) perform in the extraordinarily named Who’s the Jerk Who Bullied My Friend (到底是哪個混蛋敢欺負我的朋友) concert. Alt-rock band Johnny and Eeyore and post-rock band Orange Grass (橙草) play on Wednesday. On Thursday, it’s US-based combo Ting Bu Dong, who “blend of adventurous rock, modern jazz, and electronic soundscapes.” The foursome has previously worked in Taiwan and two members of the group toured in China with legendary Chinese rocker Cui Jian (崔健) as part of a band called Identity Crisis.
▲ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Call (02) 2930-0162 or log on at www.the-wall.com.tw for more information
▲ 8pm tonight, tomorrow; 3pm Sunday
▲ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow; NT$300 Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. Admission includes one drink
Tonight at Witch House (女巫店), it’s Shantaal — the sounds of India, Central Asia, the Middle East and Spain. Taking to the stage tomorrow is indie band Freckles (雀斑). Neo-folk singer/guitarist Enno Cheng (鄭宜農) performs on Thursday.
▲ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Road Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). Call (02) 2362-5494 or visit
www.witchhouse.org
▲ Performances start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games open 11am to midnight Sunday to Wednesday; 11am to 1am Thursday to Saturday
▲ NT$300 entrance includes one drink
Contemporary
Taichung-based funk supergroup the Money Shot Horns is celebrating the release of its self-titled EP with a “sexy, funky and super delicious” party tomorrow at 89K. The CD will be on sale at the party for NT$200.
▲ 21 Takuan Rd, Nantun Dist, Taichung City (台中市南屯區大觀路21號). Call (04) 2320-7010 for more information
▲ Tomorrow at 11pm
▲ NT$250 admission includes one free drink
Event
The annual Taipei American School Spring Fair will be held tomorrow at the school’s campus in Tianmu (天母). The fair is organized by the TAS Parent Teachers Association and features various family-oriented activities as well as stalls for vendors selling children’s books and food. Also at the fair, there will be a launch and signing for local author Scott B. Freiberger’s new travel guide Taipei in a Day. The book includes bilingual communication and travel tips, with names and addresses in both English and Chinese, detailed maps, and an alphabetically organized mini-encyclopedia of Taiwan-related information. [The book is also available at Cherry Valley Bookstore (櫻桃谷英文書店), 99, Ln 8, Tianmu E Rd, Taipei City (台北市天母東路8巷99號), tel: (02) 2876-9293] or on the Internet at www.taiwantravelbook.com.]
▲ Taipei American School is located at 800, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 6 Taipei City (台北市中山北路六段800號)
▲ The Spring Fair takes place tomorrow from 10am and 3pm
Exhibition
Alterazioni Video/Dea (另類錄像/女神). Established in Milan in 2004, Alterazioni Video is an artist collective and international network that mixes art with political activism. In Dea, the group casts a critical glance at the regulatory regimes of public bodies.
▲ Chi-Wen Gallery, 3F, 19, Ln 252, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段252巷19號3樓). Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm. Call (02) 8771-3372
▲ Until May 31
Boundless Visions: New Permanent Collection (綿延若存:典藏新作展). The exhibition introduces visitors to the museum’s new collection of paintings and works by local artists including Peng Hung-chih (彭弘智), Wang Ya-hui (王雅慧), Wu Yung-chieh (吳詠潔), Su Meng-hung (蘇孟鴻), Lin Wen-chiang (林文強) and Lu Hsien-ming (陸先銘).
▲ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm; Saturday until 8:30pm. Call (02) 2595-7656
▲ Until April 27
When nature calls, Masana Izawa has followed the same routine for more than 50 years: heading out to the woods in Japan, dropping his pants and doing as bears do. “We survive by eating other living things. But you can give faeces back to nature so that organisms in the soil can decompose them,” the 74-year-old said. “This means you are giving life back. What could be a more sublime act?” “Fundo-shi” (“poop-soil master”) Izawa is something of a celebrity in Japan, publishing books, delivering lectures and appearing in a documentary. People flock to his “Poopland” and centuries-old wooden “Fundo-an” (“poop-soil house”) in
Jan 13 to Jan 19 Yang Jen-huang (楊仁煌) recalls being slapped by his father when he asked about their Sakizaya heritage, telling him to never mention it otherwise they’ll be killed. “Only then did I start learning about the Karewan Incident,” he tells Mayaw Kilang in “The social culture and ethnic identification of the Sakizaya” (撒奇萊雅族的社會文化與民族認定). “Many of our elders are reluctant to call themselves Sakizaya, and are accustomed to living in Amis (Pangcah) society. Therefore, it’s up to the younger generation to push for official recognition, because there’s still a taboo with the older people.” Although the Sakizaya became Taiwan’s 13th
Earlier this month, a Hong Kong ship, Shunxin-39, was identified as the ship that had cut telecom cables on the seabed north of Keelung. The ship, owned out of Hong Kong and variously described as registered in Cameroon (as Shunxin-39) and Tanzania (as Xinshun-39), was originally People’s Republic of China (PRC)-flagged, but changed registries in 2024, according to Maritime Executive magazine. The Financial Times published tracking data for the ship showing it crossing a number of undersea cables off northern Taiwan over the course of several days. The intent was clear. Shunxin-39, which according to the Taiwan Coast Guard was crewed
China’s military launched a record number of warplane incursions around Taiwan last year as it builds its ability to launch full-scale invasion, something a former chief of Taiwan’s armed forces said Beijing could be capable of within a decade. Analysts said China’s relentless harassment had taken a toll on Taiwan’s resources, but had failed to convince them to capitulate, largely because the threat of invasion was still an empty one, for now. Xi Jinping’s (習近平) determination to annex Taiwan under what the president terms “reunification” is no secret. He has publicly and stridently promised to bring it under Communist party (CCP) control,
RSS