Yi-Shin Taiwanese Opera Troupe – A Maze of Mirth and Mirage

Yi-Shin Taiwanese Opera Troupe – A Maze of Mirth and Mirage

【 Program Introduction】

Yi-Shin Taiwanese Opera Troupe joined forces with European director Lukas HEMLEB to create the magnificent show Hazardous Games Around Hearts and Arrows at the 2017 Taipei Arts Festival. This production fused Eastern and Western cultural elements, creating a performance that was both “traditional and innovative.” In 2024, they will collaborate again to adapt Corneille’s 17th-century French classical masterpiece L’Illusion comique at the National Kaohsiung Center for Arts (Weiwuying). This play will highlight the dramatic allure of Baroque-style Taiwanese opera, showcasing its unique aesthetics through a maze of twists and turns.。

The plot revolves around a father who demands absolute obedience from his son, causing his son to flee the house. Nevertheless, the father is deeply connected to his son, his flesh and blood. The father turns to a powerful celestial master and, through a series of illusions, witnesses his son’s odd fate as if it were his own. The narrative progresses through episodes of joy, grief, wit, and bravery, culminating in a near-death experience. The father has long forgotten his son’s disobedience and wants the master to save his son’s life. Unbeknownst to him, the entire ordeal is a labyrinth of twists and turns.

※The 2024 premiere of this show is subsidized by the National Center for Traditional Arts