Puppet Beings Theater performs at New York festival

2023/08/11

Taipei-based Puppet Beings Theater has accepted an invitation to the International Puppet Fringe Festival in New York City and is performing the original work “The Paper Play” Aug. 9-12, according to the Ministry of Culture.

Director of Taipei Cultural Center in New York Jo Chang said that this is the first time an artistic group from Taiwan has participated in the event, which features troupes from countries including Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, India, Israel, and New Zealand. Puppet Beings Theatre, founded in 2000 by Sun Cheng-chieh, is dedicated to experimenting with new styles of interpretation even as it integrates elements of traditional puppet shows into its contemporary ones.

Sun said it took six years of research to prepare for “The Paper Play,” whose puppets and props are all made of paper. He added that it was not easy to take a two-dimensional material into three-dimensional figures, but it was worth it due to paper’s plasticity and softness, which makes for lifelike creations that immerse the audience in an imaginary world.

According to the MOC, the critically acclaimed troupe from Taiwan has toured various countries. The ministry added that PBT’s participation in the 2023 IPFF marks the group’s first trip to the U.S., which is especially significant as the performing arts sector recovers in the wake of the pandemic.

Following its festival shows in the Clemente Cultural Center in Manhattan, the group will head east to Queens to hold a workshop and give a performance at Flushing Town Hall Aug. 13, the MOC said. Sun expressed his hopes for great shows that will enable exchanges with other artists in order to stimulate the art form.


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)