Theater
Co-organized by the Cultural Bureau in Shannxi Province (陝西省文化廳) and Taipei Arts Promotion Association (台北市文化藝術促進協會), Shannxi Folk Arts Fair (陜西民間藝術園遊會) features a series of exhibitions, performances, workshops, tea and food appreciation events aimed at introducing Taipei residents to various folk arts and culture in the Chinese province. Performances by art groups from Shannxi include shadow puppetry, mask dance, traditional opera and folk singing.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Four Hall (中四館) and Distillation Room (蒸餾室), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號). On the Net: tw.myblog.yahoo.com/taipei _tapa
■ Today to Sunday from 10am
to 10pm
■ No admission fee
EX-Theatre Asia’s (EX-亞洲劇團) A True Calling (假戲真作) explores the blurred boundary between what is real and what is not in everyday life through a story about a guru and an actor. The production is a multi-cultural collaboration between stage director and actor Chongtham Jayanta Meetei from India, Taishin-award winning actor Derrick Wei (魏雋展) and experimental music band Arcn Templ from Singapore.
■ Bamboo Curtain Studio (竹圍工作室), 39, Ln 88, Jhongjheng E Rd Sec 2, Tamsui, Taipei County (台北縣淡水鎮中正東路二段88巷39號)
■ All shows are sold out except for Sunday’s 7:30pm performance
■ Tickets are NT$450, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Eclipsed Sun Tale (蝕日譚) is Taiwan Haibizi’s (台灣海筆子) latest tent theatrical production that deals with modernity, capitalism and laborers. For the past decade, Taiwan Haibizi has worked in close collaboration with Japanese director and playwright Sakurai Daizo, the foremost advocate of tent theater, a type of left-wing theater that originated in Japan in the late 1960s.
■ Chin Tu Farm (勤篤農園) inside the former Tucheng Ammunition Warehouse (土城彈藥庫), 42 Heping Rd, Tucheng, Taipei County (台北縣土城市和平路42號). For directions, go to blog.roodo.com/taiwanhaibizi/archives/12048169.html
■ Tonight through Monday at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$450 (NT$300 for students) at the door
Flux Waves Dance Theater (流浪舞蹈劇場) presents Stretch Your Wings (展翅), a contemporary dance piece inspired by the idea of faith. The piece is a collaboration between choreographers Wu Chin-tao (伍錦濤) and Wu Peng-feng (吳朋奉) and Japanese composer Koji Sakurai.
■ Experimental Theater, Taipei City
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Organized by Representation Theatre (再現劇團), Go to Hell (地獄樂團) can best be described as a sort of theme park where visitors can check out live theater and music performances as well as interactive installations and sound pieces at any time of the
day before the park closes. All shows and exhibitions at the park are inspired by the idea of hell. For detailed schedules of live performances, go to
www.wretch.cc/blog
/rpt20080229/ 12807541.
■ Representation Theatre’s Arts Factory (再現劇團藝術工場), B1, 43, Nanchang Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市南昌路一段43號B1)
■ Tonight from 6pm to 10pm, tomorrow and Sunday from 2pm
to 10pm
■ Tickets are NT$100, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (法國印象之美－法國廣播愛樂管絃樂團) brings the highly acclaimed orchestra to Taiwan to perform under the baton of conductor Chung Myung-whun. The two concerts at the National Concert Hall (國家音樂廳) will feature different programs. Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole and La Valse and his arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition will be performed today, and Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole, Piano Concert in G Major — featuring Roger Muraro on piano — and Daphnis & Chloe Suites No. 1 & No. 2 tomorrow.
■ Today and tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$500 to NT$3,600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Wansha Summer Concert Series for Emerging Talent — Li Hsun-chia Piano Recital (涴莎夏季樂集—未來新秀李訓佳鋼琴獨奏會) will feature young pianist Li Hsun-chia (李訓佳) performing a program that includes Chopin’s Polonaise Op. 40 No.2, Rachmaninoff’s Etudes-Tableau Op. 39 No. 9, Scriabin’s Etude Op. 8 No. 10, 11 and Prokofiev’s Sonate Op. 83.
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm
■ Wansha Classical Music Salon (涴莎古典音樂沙龍), 12, Alley 16, Ln 167, Dongmen Rd Sec 2, Tainan City (台南市東門路二段167巷16弄12號)
■ Tickets are NT$250, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Love in Chopin: Eric Chen 2010 Piano Recital (愛戀蕭邦—陳冠宇2010鋼琴獨奏會) see one of Taiwan’s best-loved classical pianists performing a program of Chopin.
■ Thursday at 7:30pm
■ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$400 to NT$1,000, available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Contemporary
English pop rock duo Tears for Fears, who achieved international fame with their 1985 hit album Songs From the Big Chair, appear in Taipei tomorrow night. As of press time, tickets are still available for their concert at the NTU Athletic Stadium (國立台灣大學綜合體育館). Aboriginal folk chantuese Panai (巴奈) opens the show.
■ NTU Athletic Stadium (國立台灣大學綜合體育館), 1, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段一號)
■ Show starts at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$900 to NT$4,800, available through ERA ticketing outlets or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tomorrow night’s show with Mando-pop singer Yoga Lin (林宥嘉) is already sold out. On Thursday it’s Taitung reggae rockers Matzka and Di Hot.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Shows start at 8pm tomorrow and 8:30pm on Thursday
■ Tomorrow night’s show is sold out, NT$400 on Thursday. Tickets available through ERA ticketing or online at www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw or at ibon electronics kiosks at 7-Eleven stores
Canadian indie folk band Ohbijou appears tonight at The Wall (這牆). Alt-rockers Wavelight (波光折返) and nu-metal group Respect (尊敬樂團) take the stage tomorrow night. On Sunday indie rockers Green!Eyes (綠色眼睛) perform to promote their new single.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1).
Tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net:
www.thewall.com.tw
■ Music shows start at 8pm tonight, tomorrow and 8pm on Sunday
■ Entrance fee is NT$900 tonight, NT$400 tomorrow and NT$300 on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online at www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Fingerstyle guitarist pair Woody Woody performs tonight at Witch House (女巫店). Tomorrow it’s Hualien acoustic folk duo Tom and Huck (湯姆與哈克). On Thursday female pop singer Chiang Tao (姜道) and acoustic rocker Jih ching-chiang (日京江) each perform a set.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號).
Tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net:
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
Tonight Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) owner and guitarist Geddy Lin (林正如) and a cast of veteran musicians perform for the venue’s “evening of jazz.” Comedic indie rockers Won Fu (旺福) play tomorrow night. On Sunday it’s pop-rock groups Joker and No Key Band. Monday is the venue’s weekly open jam.
■ 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). Tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 9:30pm tonight
and 9pm all other nights. For a list
of standard songs and ground rules
for the open jam, visit the venue’s
Web site
■ Entrance fee is NT$400 tonight and NT$450 tomorrow, NT$350 on Sunday and NT$150 on Monday
Folk rocker Elisa Lin (林依霖) shares
a bill with indie rockers Red
Flower (紅花樂團) and neo-grunge band Ground Zero (放射空間) tonight at Riverside Live House (西門紅樓展演館). Tomorrow
the venue hosts Mando-pop
singers Jiwasi Dulan (吳亦帆) and Hsu Che-wei (徐哲緯). On Thursday it’s folk rockers Miss Dessy and indie-electronica band Telephone Booth (電話亭).
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號). Tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm tonight, 8:30pm tomorrow and Thursday
■ Entrance fee is NT$400 tonight, NT$500 tomorrow and NT$400 on Thursday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Metal bands Ashen and Brain Corrosion play tonight at Underworld (地下社會). Tomorrow there’s a triple bill featuring post-rock-ish group Sun of Morning (晨曦光廊), post-punk and baroque pop band The Tic Tac and Posh Inverse (優雅逆轉).
On Wednesday it’s blues and rock
from expat Joe Markus and punk band My War.
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1). Tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld
■ Music shows run from 9:30pm to 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9pm to 11pm on Wednesdays. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Mondays. Happy hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance for music shows is
NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, which includes one drink; NT$100
on Wednesday
Tonight at Sappho de Base, a late night lounge and jazz venue, it’s Olivier Baron, a French expat trombonist who will be leading a quartet. Tomorrow the venue hosts Aashti Ensemble (汎絲路樂團), a group of Macedonian and Taiwanese performing Balkan folk and gypsy music. MaJam Jazz Quartet (麻將爵士樂團) plays jazz, fusion, funk
and blues on Tuesday. On Wednesday pianist Jason Hayashi and his
trio take to the stage. On Thursday Rocky and Friends preside over an open jam.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1). Tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net:
www.sappho102.biz
■ Music shows begin at 10:30pm tonight and tomorrow, 10pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is free
Tonight at Roxy Roots Canadian folk singer and former Taiwan resident Scott Cook appears with Taichung blues-rock band Three Day Bender. Tomorrow expat party favorites The Money Shot Horns take to the stage. On Wednesday renowned Japanese free-jazz drummer Sabu Toyozumi leads an open jam.
■ 90 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路90號). Tel: (02) 2725-3932. On the Net: www.roxy.com.tw
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Entrance is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays (NT$200 credited toward food and drink)
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week include Julia Peng (彭佳慧), a major draw who appears every Tuesday, and male crooner Shin Lung (辛隆), who performs every Saturday.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City
(台北市安和路二段211號).
Tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net:
www.ez5.com.tw
■ Music shows run from 9:45pm
to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Taipei Swing holds dance socials on Friday nights at Capone’s, with live music from blues band BoPoMoFo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). Dancers of all levels are welcome, and beginner’s lessons are offered while the band takes a break. Saturday is Salsa night with live music from Latin on Fire.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號)
■ Live music from 9pm to 11:30pm on Fridays, 8pm to 11:30pm on Saturdays
■ Minimum charge of one drink on Fridays (dancers receive a free drink coupon). On Saturdays the minimum charge is NT$300
During the Japanese colonial era, remote mountain villages were almost exclusively populated by indigenous residents. Deep in the mountains of Chiayi County, however, was a settlement of Hakka families who braved the harsh living conditions and relative isolation to eke out a living processing camphor. As the industry declined, the village’s homes and offices were abandoned one by one, leaving us with a glimpse of a lifestyle that no longer exists. Even today, it takes between four and six hours to walk in to Baisyue Village (白雪村), and the village is so far up in the Chiayi mountains that it’s actually
Dec. 16 to Dec. 22 Growing up in the 1930s, Huang Lin Yu-feng (黃林玉鳳) often used the “fragrance machine” at Ximen Market (西門市場) so that she could go shopping while smelling nice. The contraption, about the size of a photo booth, sprayed perfume for a coin or two and was one of the trendy bazaar’s cutting-edge features. Known today as the Red House (西門紅樓), the market also boasted the coldest fridges, and offered delivery service late into the night during peak summer hours. The most fashionable goods from Japan, Europe and the US were found here, and it buzzed with activity
These days, CJ Chen (陳崇仁) can be found driving a taxi in and around Hualien. As a way to earn a living, it’s not his first choice. He’d rather be taking tourists to the region’s attractions, but after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region on April 3, demand for driver-guides collapsed. In the eight months since the quake, the number of overseas tourists visiting Hualien has declined by “at least 90 percent, because most of them come for Taroko Gorge, not for the east coast or the East Longitudinal Valley,” he says. Chen estimates the drop in domestic sightseers after the
It’s a discombobulating experience, after a Lord of the Rings trilogy that was built, down to every frame and hobbit hair, for the big screen, to see something so comparatively minor, small-scaled and TV-sized as The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. The film, set 183 years before the events of The Hobbit, is a return to Middle-earth that, despite some very earnest storytelling, never supplies much of an answer as to why, exactly, it exists. Rohirrim, which sounds a little like the sound an orc might make sneezing, is perhaps best understood as a placeholder for further cinematic
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