Theater
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre’s (雲門舞集) second company, Cloud Gate 2, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its annual Spring Riot (春鬥) tour, which begins today at Taipei’s Novel Hall and will next month visit Hsinchu, Taichung and Kaohsiung. This year’s lineup includes Island of Silence (緘默之島) by Gu Ming-sheng (古名伸) and Lin Huai-ming’s (林懷民) Waiting for Spring Wind (望春風).
▲Novel Hall (新舞台), 3-1 Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路3-1號)
▲Today, tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,200, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
In Hypnotism Show — A Mysterious Odyssey (催眠秀) by 2F Theater (2F劇團), children who once believed in fairy tales and Santa Claus discover when they grow up that people need to be hypnotized to find life bearable.
▲Guling Street Theater (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei City (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號).
▲Today at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 2:30pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$350, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Ping-Fong Acting Troupe’s (屏風表研演班) 2002 The Aurora Borealis (北極之光) returns to Metropolitan Hall for 10 performances starting tonight. The theme of this star-studded, big-budget production that covers the last 20 years of Taiwanese history is first love over three generations and the promises and commitment that run through it.
▲Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台), 25, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段25號).
▲Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$600 to NT$3,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
In O Sabbe Dharmakaya, Mia Hsieh (謝韻雅) from A Moving Sound (聲動劇場) turns to the story of her mother, who was separated from her parents after coming to Taiwan in 1949. What begins as a family history becomes a monument to a collective tragedy.
▲Performing Arts School 36 (表演36房), 156-1, Muxin Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市木新路二段156-1號)
▲Tonight at 7:40pm, tomorrow at 2:40pm and 7:40pm
▲Tickets are NT$450, available through NTCH ticketing or online at
www.artsticket.com.tw
U-Theatre brings its six-part ode to its Laoquanshan (老泉山) home, The Mountain Dawn (入夜山嵐), to Kaohsiung tonight for two performances. The production is a contemplative reflection on the tranquil life on the mountain.
▲Kaohsiung Cultural Center’s Chihteh Hall (高雄市立文化中心至德堂), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市五福一路67號)
▲Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30pm
▲Tickets are NT$400 to NT$2,000, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical
The First Taipei International Lyricism in 20th Century Music Festival (第一屆台北國際二十世紀美好音樂節) presents a series of concerts featuring 20th century composers that runs until Wednesday. Tonight’s concert includes works by Bruno Maderna, Egon Wellesz, Wilhelm Grasz and Ernst Toch. Tomorrow’s program lists works by Berthold Goldschmidt, Ernst Krenek, Karol Rathaus and Hans Gal. Sunday’s concert will feature works by Boris Blacher, Julius Burger, and Samuel Barber. Further information can be found at www.taipei-festival.org.
▲Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm
▲Taichung Chungshan Hall (台中中山堂), 98 Syuesi Rd, Taichung City (台中市學士路98號)
▲Tickets are NT$300 to NT$1,000, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Essence — Piano Duo Concert of Excellent Pianists in Taiwan (當代精粹 — 經典台灣名家雙鋼琴之夜) is part of the 2009 Taiwan International Piano Festival (2009台灣國際鋼琴藝術節). The concert showcases emerging and established local pianists who will perform a program that includes Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, KV. 448, Baber’s Souvenirs, Op. 28, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Shostakovitch’s Concertino, Op. 94 and Mussorgsky’s Picture at an Exhibition. More information can be obtained at www.proartist.com.tw.
▲Tuesday at 7:30pm
▲National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲Tickets are NT$250 to NT$2,500, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
In Humanity in a Time of Confrontation (樂在戰火蔓延時), the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (臺北市立交響樂團) performs with guest conductor Peter Gulke and soloist David Grimal on violin. The program will include Penderecki’s Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, Lutoslawsky’s Concerto for Orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35.
▲Today at 7:30pm
▲National Concert Hall, Taipei City
▲Tickets are NT$200 to NT$800, available at NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Contemporary
The Spring Scream vibes continue tomorrow night as VU Live House hosts Skunkrice, an industrial dance band from Japan, expat post-rock group Collider, electronica outfit KbN and South Korean rock and
hip-hop band Nevada 51. [See
story above.]
▲B1, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市武昌街二段77號B1). Tel: (02) 2314-1868
▲Show begins at 11pm
▲NT$350 entrance fee includes one drink
Indie-electronica group The Shine and Shine and Shine and Shine (閃閃閃閃) holds a concert tonight at The Wall (這牆) to celebrate the release of its debut album. Also appearing this evening are DJ F Dragon (水果龍) and electronica group Unfamiliar Friends Party (不熟的朋友). Late night, the electronica sounds continue with industrial dance band Skunkrice, emotronic/breakcore outfit DynaTAC, DJ Debra and Spykee Fat. [See Vinyl Word.] Tomorrow comedic indie-rock band Wonfu (旺福) takes to the stage.
▲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 visit www.thewall.com.tw for more information
▲Shows start at 8:00pm and 11:30pm tonight and 9pm tomorrow
▲Entrance fee is NT$400 tonight and NT$450 tomorrow
Indie pop act Radicalo takes to the stage tonight at Witch House (女巫店). Tomorrow night, it’s folk-pop singer Jasmine (假死貓). On Thursday the venue hosts a couple of newcomers: electronica-rock band Dianzibiao (電子婊樂隊) and Marine (馬林).
▲7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號). For more information, 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 Sundays through Wednesdays; 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
▲Entrance fee for music shows is NT$300, includes one drink
Uno and Friends a jazz group led by pianist Uno Wu (烏野薰), plays at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) tonight. Hsu Chia-ying (徐佳瑩), a winner from a previous season of the One Million Star (超級星光大道) pop idol show, performs tomorrow, with Indie-folk duo katncandix2 (棉花糖) opening. On Sunday post-rock/emo band Orangegrass (橙草) and indie-electronica group Nylas split the bill.
▲B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓). Call (02) 2368-7310 or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information
▲Show starts at 9:30pm tonight, 9pm tomorrow and Sunday
▲Entrance fee is NT$400 tonight and Sunday, NT$450 tomorrow, includes one drink
From tonight until Monday, Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館) hosts alt-folk songstress Cheer Chen (陳綺貞). All shows are already sold out.
▲177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號). Call (02) 2370-8805 or visit www.riverside.com.tw for more information
▲Shows start at 8:30pm
▲All shows are sold out
House regulars Jazz Your Mind plays tonight at Sappho de Base. Tomorrow Blues Vibrations play surf rock, jam band and blues music. On Tuesday 4 Peace Ensemble plays jazz fusion music with Japanese tabla player Waka. On Wednesday the venue hosts Minstrels Unlimited, a “new project” exploring jazz, African and hip-hop music. On Thursday The Beijing Jazz Quartet takes to the stage.
▲B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). For more information, call (02) 2700-5411 or go to www.sappho102.biz
▲Shows start at 10:30pm on weekends, 10pm on weekdays
▲No admission fee
Every Wednesday night at the Cosmopolitan Grill there’s a blues open mic held by the Blues Society on Taiwan. All are welcome to bring their instruments and sit in on guitar, bass or drums.
▲1F, 218 Changchun Rd, Taipei City (台北市長春路218號1樓). Call (02) 2508-0304 or visit www.cosmo.com.tw for more information
▲8pm to 11pm every Wednesday
▲No admission fee
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights this week include Phoebe Huang (黃嘉千) tonight, Hsing Lung (辛隆) tomorrow, and Julia Peng (彭佳慧), a major draw who appears every Tuesday.
▲211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號). Call (02) 2738-3995 or visit www.ez5.com.tw for more information
▲Music shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
▲Entrance fee (including two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer. Call venue for exact fees
Acoustic folk group Country Boys (農村武裝青年) and post-rock band The Peppermints (薄荷葉) play tonight at Underworld (地下社會). Tomorrow evening it’s metal bands Revilement, a Cannibal Corpse-inspired grind-metal band, and The Freeloaders. Appearing Wednesday are hip-hop rockers Living Force (存活勢力) and indie-electronica group The Shine and Shine and Shine and Shine (閃閃閃閃).
▲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
▲Shows run from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays
▲Entrance is NT$300 tonight and tomorrow and includes one drink, NT$100 on Wednesday
Exhibitions
Cuba: The Island Garden is a photography exhibit by US photographer Keith Brown that sympathetically documents the people and architecture of the last bastion of communism in Latin America.
▲Pethany Larsen Gallery (Pethany Larsen藝坊), 30, Ln 45 Liaoning St, Taipei City (台北市遼寧街45巷30號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11am to 8pm. Tel: (02) 8772-5005. On the Net: www.pethanylarsen.com
▲Until May 17
Kamatani Tetsutaro employs mixed media materials, such as Barbie dolls and plastic toy soldiers, as well as acrylic on canvas to explore the constantly shifting line between the real and unreal in his solo exhibition Ultra Superficial.
▲Gallery J Chen, 3F, 40, Ln 161, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段161巷40號3F). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 12pm to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2781-0959. On the Net: www.galleryjchen.com
▲Until April 30
Y.E.S., Taiwan — Young Emerging Stars, Taiwan (台灣當代藝術潛力新秀聯展) is a group exhibit that explores different aspects of contemporary Taiwan through sculptures and paintings by 12 of the country’s hottest emerging artists.
▲AKI Gallery (也趣畫廊), 141 Mintsu W Rd, Taipei City (台北市民族西路141號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 12pm to 6:30pm. Tel: (02) 2599-1171. On the Net:
www.akigallery.com.tw
▲Until April 26
A Jiacha Experience (間 — 交叉體驗) is a joint exhibit by French artist BlueScreen and Taiwan’s The Puppet and its Double Theater (無獨有偶劇團). The interactive installation ponders the meeting points between performance art, new media and contemporary art. It encourages visitors to interact with the exhibit’s environment and play with objects found within the space to gain a deeper understanding of the process of artistic creation.
▲Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA, Taipei), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2552-3721. On the Net: www.mocataipei.org.tw
▲Until April 26
Collision Between Taboo and Desire: Hou Chun-ming Works of Print, 1992-2008 (六腳侯氏—衝撞在慾望與禁忌之間的版畫創作1992-2008) displays 13 sets of
the artist’s printmaking. Bearing
titles such as Erotic Paradise and Paradise Lost for the Heterosexuals, the pieces unflinchingly explore religion, sexual desire and the artist’s own life experiences.
▲National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung (國立台灣美術館), 2, Wucyuan W Rd Sec 1, Taichung City (台中市五權西路一段2號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9am to 5pm. Tel: (04) 2372-3552
▲Until May 24
Lee Tsai-chien’s Solo Exhibition (李再鈐雕塑個展) features 18 metal objects by Taiwan’s preeminent master of geometrical sculpture. Ancient Greek ideal forms and Buddhist and Taoist philosophy inspire Lee’s monumental creations.
▲Main Trend Gallery (大趨勢畫廊), 209-1, Chengde Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市承德路三段209-1號). Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2587-3412. On the Net:
www.maintrendgallery.com.tw
▲Until April 25
The Yingge Ceramics Museum investigates the human form in Passionate Beings: Contem-porary Ceramics of Museum Collection (多情.人—當代陶藝典藏展), an exhibit of 35 sculptures from its permanent collection.
▲Yingge Ceramics Museum (鶯歌陶瓷博物館), 200 Wenhua Rd, Yinge Township, Taipei County (台北縣鶯歌鎮文化路200號). Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 9:30am to 5pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 8677-2727. On the Net: www.ceramics.tpc.gov.tw
▲Until April 19
Ancient Pottery of the Paiwan Tribe in Taiwan (祖靈的居所—台灣排灣族古陶壺特展) shows how ceramics are closely associated with the legends of the Paiwan tribe’s origins, and how pottery helps to perpetuate the tribe’s social hierarchy.
▲National Museum of Natural Science (國立自然科學博物館), 1, Guancian Rd, Taichung City (台中市館前路1號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9am to 5pm. On the Net:
www.nmns.edu.tw
▲Until May 17
The God of Earth in Taiwan (台灣土地公特展) explains the origins of the Earth God (土地公) and why it continues to play an important role in folk worship throughout the country.
▲National Museum of Natural Science (國立自然科學博物館), 1, Guancian Rd, Taichung City (台中市館前路1號). Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9am to 5pm. On the Net: www.nmns.edu.tw
▲Until May 31
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