National Taichung Theater starts trial operations

2014-11-25

President Ma Ying-jeou said Nov. 23 that National Taichung Theater will help attract more performing art groups to Taiwan and boost the country’s cultural profile.

“The theater is set to become a new landmark on the local cultural and creative landscape,” Ma said during a ceremony marking the commencement of trial operations at the facility in central Taiwan.

“Along with National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei City and Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts under construction in Kaohsiung City, the facility will help usher in a new era for the performing arts in Taiwan.”

Taking five years to complete, the NT$4.36 billion (US$141.56 million) project features a beamless design and irregular curved walls. It is the brainchild of Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Toyo Ito from Japan, whose work on the Kaohsiung Main Stadium attracted worldwide praise.

Covering 57,024 square meters in downtown Taichung, the facility includes a 2,000-seat grand performing hall, an 800-seat theatre and a 200-seat experimental theater. It will officially open to the public in early 2015 under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.

As part of the celebrations, Taichung City Government is staging dance and theater performances, as well as concerts and light shows, at the site.

The inaugural show was a production of “Cat Man” by traditional opera troupe Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group. It is to be followed by performances of “Don Quixote” by the Paper Windmill Theatre Nov. 27 and 28.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=224373&CtNode=413)