Enjoy the purest theatrical performances – All of Taiwan’s renowned performing troupes are at the Chiayi Theater Festival

▲ The Chiayi City Theater Festival opens on July 12 with a performance by the Wind God Baby Children’s Theater Troupe. (Photo / Courtesy ofChiayi City Theater Festivalwebsite, the same below)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The “Chiayi City Theater Festival,” combining the former Children’s Theater Festival and the Taocheng Theater Festival, kicks off this week！Eleven well-known performance groups from across Taiwan will present exciting indoor and outdoor shows, workshops, lectures, and theater training programs from July 12 to August 17, aiming to let audiences of all ages fully experience the boundless charm of theater during the summertime filled with cicadas and birdsong.

▲ The Noordoe Duo Puppet Theater Troupe will bring a large-scale musical puppet show for families.

The Chiayi City Theater Festival focuses onpuppets, objects, and physical performanceas its core performance formats,and has also invited notable domestic theater troupes including the Noordoe Duo Puppet Theater Troupe, the Theater Box Troupe, the Wild Kids Physical Theater, the Wind God Baby Children’s Theater Troupe, the Paper Windmill Theater Troupe, the Ruan Theater Troupe, the Only Puppets Children’s Theater Troupe, the Ancient Capital Puppet Theater Troupe, as well as 2014’s Outstanding Performing Arts Troupes in Chiayi: the Little Teapot Children’s Theater Troupe, the Changyi Pavilion Glove Puppet Theater Troupe, and the Yixing Pavilion Glove Puppet Theater Troupe

to participate in this festival.

On July 26 and 27, the Little Teapot Children’s Theater Troupe will perform “The Gods Have Many Wonderful Plans” at the Chiayi City Cultural Center Concert Hall.

During the event period, three slow-life mini tours are also arranged to take participants to explore the city’s unique attractions and shops, to live as a Chiayi local for a day. From the beautiful scenery of Chiayi depicted in Chen Cheng-po’s paintings or the local culture of Dong Market, get to know the stories of Chiayi, enjoy local delicacies recommended by residents, and join various performances of the Chiayi City Theater Festival to embrace the leisurely pace unique to Chiayi.

Some of the performing troupes will also hold workshops and give lectures, engaging with the audience before the shows to communicate and introduce the content and creative process of the performances. This serves a similar function to a “pre-show talk,” not only further promoting the plays but also fostering interaction between performers and audiences. It transforms the experience from a one-way “viewing” into a more hands-on “experience.”

▲ “Chang’e Flying to the Moon” incorporates the legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival.The first two days of the Chiayi Theater Festival on July 12 and 13 will open with“Chang’e Flying to the Moon”

performed by the Wind God Baby Children’s Theater Troupe. The Wind God Baby Children’s Theater Troupe is Taiwan’s first children’s theater using traditional drama and Eastern culture to tell stories. Linguistically, it primarily uses Taiwanese as its base, mixed with Mandarin and some English. The music draws from traditional melodies and Taiwanese folk songs, reinterpreted with a modern style. This performance weaves together the legend of the Mid-Autumn Festival, bringing together the familiar tales of Chang’e flying to the moon, Wu Gang chopping the laurel tree, and Hou Yi shooting down the suns.

▲ “Journey to the West: The Battle at 2 Degrees Celsius” combines environmentalism, education, music, and exquisite puppetry.Starting July 17 is a three-day glove puppetry showcase. On the evening of July 17 at 7 PM, the Yixing Pavilion Glove Puppet Theater Troupe presents“Journey to the West: The Battle at 2 Degrees Celsius,”

which uses global warming as its theme and sets it within the time and space of Journey to the West. With Yixing Pavilion’s solid foundation in golden light glove puppetry and an original thematic soundtrack, it blends environmentalism, education, music, and outstanding puppet performance art into a family-friendly children’s glove puppet show.

▲ Bringing joy to children and encouraging them to engage more with the stage to nurture their sense of artistic beauty, “The Gods Have Many Wonderful Plans.”On July 26 and 27, the Little Teapot Children’s Theater Troupe performs“The Gods Have Many Wonderful Plans”

at the Chiayi City Cultural Center Concert Hall. The Little Teapot is the first professional children’s theater troupe in the Yunlin–Chiayi region. It not only uses the well-known children’s song “Cui Cut Thigh and Cui Thigh Cut,” but also conveys the message through its story that kindness and helping others will be rewarded. The play is full of clever tricks—how does Cui Cut Thigh scare off hunters? How does Cui Thigh Cut catch the big bad wolf? Surprising and imaginative solutions will lead children into a world of endless fantasy.

▲ The Theater Box Troupe, which stages original scripts and supports local creativity.The Theater Box Troupe presentsPerformances will be held at 2:30 PM on August 2 and 3 in Warehouse No. 4 of the Railway Art Village, telling the story of an ordinary female office worker who encounters a mysterious person. Their conversations and interactions unfold through the interplay between live actors and puppets—what is real and what is fake? "Facing the world, to wear a mask or take it off is ultimately a choice."

▲ The frog puppet showcases its physical flexibility through a unique performance method.

On August 9 at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM, there are two consecutive performances of*Frog Tribe*, brought to you by the Noordong Puppet Theatre. During the 2013 Green Expo, it was performed 102 times and caused a sensation.

▲ The mini-travel activity is designed to make you feel like a Chiayi local. (Photo / from the Chiayi City Theater Festival website)

On July 26, August 2, and August 9, there are three more Light Living Mini-Tours, each with 20 available spots. Local Chiayi experts will take you on a day-long journey to experience life as a Chiayi resident, exploring the city’s uniquely blended architecture shaped by its ideal climate and rich history full of stories.

▲ More activities from the Chiayi Theater Festival can be found here. (Photo / from the Chiayi City Theater Festival website)

Additionally, the Chiayi City Theater Festival has partnered with Taiwan High Speed Rail. Simply present a paper ticket with a travel date within the event period (2014/07/12–2014/08/17) to enjoy a 20% discount on performance tickets.

For more information about the Chiayi City Theater Festival, please visit theofficial websiteto check.