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Taiwan Fun Magazine, July 2003

Translated by Yvonne Chen (³¯¨|ªÚ)

Theatre Group of Creative Society ¡V ¡§Sound of Colors¡¨ by Jimmy: a musical journey Date: July 24-27, 7:30 pm; July 26-27, 2:30 pm Location: National Theater Prices: NT$400 600 800 1000 1200 1500, National Theater and Concert Hall ticketing system Tel: (02) 2343-1587, (02) 2343-1647

       This is a performance with a visual foundation based on ¡§Sound of Colors¡¨ ¡V the work of renowned cartoonist, Jimmy ¡V combined with elements of theater, stage design, music, and dance. A blind young girl enters the subway on the morning of her fifteenth birthday, heading towards the great unknown. As the train goes from station to station, unexpected characters and stories begin to unfold and clues mysteriously appear to lead the blind girl to her next destination. However, the miracle of restoring her sight never happens. This is a journey of search, full of imagination, colors, and sounds ¡V an allegory about ¡§truth¡¨ that lies somewhere between ¡§Alice in Wonderland¡¨ and a Kafka like black fable.

Great Hakka Opera ¡V The Pregnant Pulse Date: July 18-19, 7:30pm; July 20, 2:30pm Location: National Theater Prices: NT$300 600 900 1200 1500, National Theater and Concert Hall ticketing system Telephone: (02) 2343-1587, (02) 2343-1647

       Hakka opera is more than just about tea picking. The Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe presents ¡§The Pregnant Pulse¡¨, featuring three generations of elite actors. Cheng Rom-shing, who has studied Hakka performance art for years, founded the group to introduce to the public the richness and diversity of Hakka theater art. In this story, the delicate princess suddenly becomes ill and her loving father, the emperor, is terribly worried. As it turns out, the princess is pregnant, a secret that must be kept as she is still unwed. As the palace faces internal and external uproars, it looks as though the good news is turning sour. Watch how the shrewd imperial Dr. Lee resolves this problem and how the eloquent Lady Hu wreak havoc in the courtroom.

Unfolding Visions: Gary Hill selected works 1976-2003   Date: Until Aug. 24 Location: Second Floor Exhibition Hall, Museum of Contemporary Art Telephone: (02) 2552-3721

       This is a first complete small scale Gary Hill exhibition in Taiwan. For nearly a decade, Gary Hill has led the development of video art. He is considered to be one of the most influential contemporary artists especially with his innovative works in the realm of video art. He has broken through small independent art arena and brought his enormous works and complex electronic screen technical support into major galleries and museums. This exhibit offers the public an introduction to major works by Gary Hill as well as an opportunity to get to know contemporary art and the new medium through early single track recording, later complex recording device, and recorded performance pieces.

Virtual Holy Land ¡V Miniature World Religious Architecture Date:from July 19 Location: 7th Floor World Religions Exhibition Hall, Museum of World Religions Tel: (02) 8231-6699

      The Museum of World Religions has miniature, true-to-scale, replica models of the ten great religious buildings in the world, including the Chartres Cathedral in France, Foguang Temple on Shanshi¡¦s Wu Tai Mountain, the Staronova syngoga in Prague and Ise Jingu Temple of Shinto religion in Japan. These ten models have an imposing presence just like their true counterpart, and their delicate interiors are also modeled after the original building. This exhibition features an active display; movable video cameras are installed inside these models to emulate movement paths in the original buildings. Audience can feel what it is like to be in the building by moving the cameras using a computer joystick to see the sculptures and paintings inside the model projected on a screen.

Gung-Liau Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival Date: July 11-13 Location: Fulong Blue Ocean Beach (40, Fulong St., Fulong Village, Kungliao, Taipei County) Tel: (02) 2812-1921

      Gung-Liau Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival, featuring unique local spirits with global ambition, will take place this year at the beach in Gung Liau¡¦s Fulong Village. Besides the addition of a preliminary competition, the festival has been extended to three days, making this rock festival Taiwan¡¦s foremost outdoor musical event. Aside from the main event ¡V the ¡§Ocean Independent Music¡¨ competition, there will be performances by local and foreign rock musicians. The first half on the 11th will be the ¡§Ocean Star¡¨ performance by local musicians and artists. As the focus in this year¡¦s festival, organizer plans to combine rock music with secular opera to create an exciting acoustic experience in a lively and bustling percussion rally.

The 3rd Taipei Philharmonic Summer Festival Date: July 8-12 Location: National Concert Hall Prices: NT$300 500 600 800 1000 1200, Acer Ticketing Tel: (02) 2773-3691

       On July 8 is Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem performed by Taipei Philharmonic Chorus conducted by Tu He. On July 9 and 10, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, performed by Taipei Philharmonic Children's Choir, directed by Tan Cheng-chu, conducted by Hsiung Shih-ling, and solo performances by Wang Po-sen, Yu Shan-min and Ni Hung-chuan. On July 11 is performance by award winning chorus group and the Provision Team of Council for Cultural Affairs. Taipei Philharmonic Chorus, Festival Chorus and conductor, Steven Sametz, will close the festival on July 12. Organizer has also sponsored choir direction, youth choir, theater, and dance seminars; for details, please contact Taipei Philharmonic Foundation for Culture and Education.