2024 Taiwan-Germany Symposium on Arts & Culture

Time: Friday, 25 October 2024, 10:00-10:15 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Speaker: 
Victoria WANG (Chairwoman and Artistic Director of the Taipei Performing Arts Center)
Theresa HÜMMER (Director of the Goethe-Institut Taipei)

Theatre for Young Audiences in Germany is an independent, socially and politically recognised art form for children and young people and has established itself as an integral part of theatre work in Germany over the last three decades. The organisational forms and funding models of Theatre for Young Audiences are just as rich and varied as the artistic forms of expression, themes and scenic offerings. This status quo is the result of a decades-long cultural-political and youth-political struggle by TYA artists for social recognition, continuity and reliability in financial support.
In my lecture, I would like to describe the diverse institutional and organisational constitution of today's TYA, starting with a brief introduction to the history of their origins, and going on to some current artistic tendencies and theatre pedagogical developments. With a view to the institutional constitution of TYA, I will also consider and present the cultural and youth policy legitimisation strategies of TYA, which focus on the right of children and young people to cultural participation.
In this context, the work of ASSITEJ Germany as an association and network of children's and young people's theatres in Germany as well as the tasks and work of the Children's and Young People's Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany as a competence centre for the development of theatre for children and young people in Germany, funded by the Federal Government, will also be discussed.

Time: Friday, 25 October 2024, 10:15-10:50 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Speaker: Gerd TAUBE
Introduction:

Gerd TAUBE｜Director of the Children's and Youth Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany in Frankfurt am Main

Prof. Dr Gerd Taube, born 1962
From 1984 to 1989, he studied theatre studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin. 
From 1989 to 1993, he was head dramaturge and deputy director at the municipal puppet theatre in Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz. 
He was then the founding director of the puppettheatre Schaubude Berlin, which he ran until 1997. 
Since 1997, he has directed the Children's and Youth Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany in Frankfurt am Main and is Artistic Director of the Biennale of German Theatre for Young Audiences AUGENBLICK MAL! in Berlin. 
From 1997 to 2014, he taught as a lecturer at the Institute for Youth Book Research at Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, and has been an honorary professor at the institute since 2014, teaching the theory and history of children's and young people's theatre and dramatic literature for children and young people. 
From 2009 to 2018, he was chairman of the Federal Association for Cultural Children's and Youth Education (BKJ), of which he had been a board member since 1999.
He publishes books, magazines and articles on puppet theatre, theatre for young audiences, young drama and cultural education.

The Paper Windmill Cultural and Educational Foundation has completed two full tours of Taiwan for its 368 Township Children’s Art Project. Over the past 18 years, it has set up stages in outdoor plazas and squares in 368 towns, townships, and districts throughout Taiwan. With donations from more than 160,000 individuals/groups, it has been able to present 777 performances to 1.6 million people.

Professional theater equipment has been used for each of these performances and behind each donation has been an emotional and sentimental story. How have Taiwan’s performing artists overcome challenges to fulfill the dream of completing “the first mile” in bringing the arts to children in rural areas?

Time: Friday, 25 October 2024, 11:05-11:40 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Speaker: JEN Chien-Cheng 
Introduction:

JEN Chien-Cheng ｜Executive Director of the Paperwindmill Cultural Foundation

1990 Graduated from the Department of Theatre Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts  
1995 Studied in the Department of Theatre, Université Paris III  
2018 Graduated from the EMBA program, National Taiwan University/Fudan University  

JEN Chien-Cheng came to study theater by chance. Due to his love of children, he has worked in the children’s theater field for 36 years and is a veteran of the Paper Windmill Theatre.

His roles in the Paper Windmill Theatre have included director, playwright, actor, lecturer, stage designer, and stage manager. He has also been involved in event planning, marketing, and publicity, and currently serves as the company’s director.

He is also well experienced in organizing and curating arts education and large-scale events, including participation in a children's theater promotional program of the Council for Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Culture), leading a youth theater activities promotional project, and curating and organizing the Paper Windmill Gulliver Human Anatomy Art Exploration, the Paper Windmill House of Dinosaurs Art Exploration, and the Paper Windmill Taiwanese Animals and Insects Creative Exhibition. Moreover, he was named the executive director for the banquet held to celebrate the inauguration of the 10th President/Vice President of the Republic of China and oversaw the production of a “happiness maze” in the square outside the National Theater and Concert Hall for the Presidential Office's New Year's Eve celebration.

The Paper Windmill Cultural and Educational Foundation has developed numerous public arts initiatives, including the 319 Townships Children’s Art Project, 368 Townships Children's Arts Project, Anti-Drugs for Teens Theatre Project, and Countryside Arts Truck Project.

Are there key differences in theater productions geared toward children and those that encourage youth participation in terms of themes, scripts, characters, dialogue, rhythm, or visual creation?

Time: Friday, 25 October 2024, 13:30-15:10 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Moderator: HSU Wan-Ying
Panelist: Hannah BIEDERMANN, Lutz HÜBNER, LU Yi-Hsin, Vanessa LIN
Introduction:

HSU Wan-Ying｜Artistic Director of Ifkids Theatre Company

 

Having graduated from the Theater Department of Taipei National University of the Arts, Wan-Ying went to Western Michigan University to receive her master’s degree in Drama/Theatre for the Young.  She has been the Artistic Director of Ifkids Theatre Company for over 20 years.  She is an assistant professor at several famous universities, including National Taiwan University, Taipei National University of the Arts, and National Taiwan University of the Arts.
Through conducting workshops, designing children’s theater curricula, and publishing books, Wan-Ying has contribute her talent in many ways.  She has organized many international children’s theater festivals and participated in countless events all over the world, including Asia, Europe, Africa, and America.
Wan-Ying has written and directed over 30 plays, including the most beloved series of The Detective Pig’s Secret Files.  The series has been performed across many platforms, including theater performance, online shows, and Podcasts.  Her whole body of work has toured around Taiwan and all over the world.
Besides her exciting theater work, she is also a dedicated children’s theater educator.  She has been the curriculum designer and consultant for the project, “Play Fun House,” organized by the National Theater of Taiwan.

 

Hannah BIEDERMANN｜Freelance Director and Performer,  
Founder of the Theater Collective "pulk fiktion"

Hannah Biedermann is a freelance director and performer who, following her studies in scenic arts in Hildesheim, develops performative and interactive formats beyond classic narratives for children and young people. Her plays, mostly play developments, always follow a socially relevant question and look for negotiation strategies in the theater space. In 2007 she founded her own theater collective pulk fiktion, whose productions have already seen her invited to various festivals and won several awards. She also directs at theaters such as Schauspielhaus Bochum, Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Junges Ensemble Stuttgart, Junges Theater Basel and many more. In 2017 she was awarded the FAUST Prize in the category “Best Director for Children and Youth Theater” and in 2023 she received the ASSITEJ Prize for special achievements in theater for young audiences.

 

Lutz HÜBNER｜Freelance Writer and Director

 

Lutz Hübner, (born 1964) studied German, philosophy and sociology at Münster University, he went to the Saarbrücken drama school where he graduated. He then worked as an actor and director in several german theatres. Since 1996, he works as a freelance writer and director. He lives in Berlin and writes for opera, movie, young audiences and adults. Since end of the Nineties, he is one of the most produced living german playwrights, whose plays has been translated in over a dozen languages. Since 2001 he writes in collaboration with Sarah Nemitz. He received an Honourable Mention of the International Assitej, the Bavarian Film Award for the best movie script, the award of the Frankfurt Playwrights Foundation and several other awards. 

 

LU Yi-Hsin｜Director and Artistic Director of New Visions New Voices Theatre

 

LU Yi-Hsin, Director and Artistic Director of New Visions New Voices Theatre, an associate professor ranked expert in the Department of Taiwanese Literature at National Cheng Kung University. MFA in Applied Drama & Theatre for the Young at Eastern Michigan University, and MA in Theatre at University of Montana. Her works are full of inspiration and poetic senses, and have been frequently invited to different festivals. She excels at oral history theatre, theater for young audience, and performances that blend literature and history. She actively promotes cultural equality, inclusive arts and the cultivation of young artists. Recent directing and playwright works include Hello Halo!, Women’s Play: Their Lives and Stories, Hearing, One Hundred Years of Resistances, The Old Suitcase, etc.

 

Vanessa LIN｜Founder of AM CREATIVE and Musical Producer

Vanessa Lin has a professional background in both Chinese and Western music and possesses extensive experience in large-scale cross-disciplinary performances as well as in international musical collaborations and productions.

To promote the appreciation of performing arts in Taiwan, Vanessa has been dedicated to creating new entertainment options in Taiwan by focusing on family musicals, training young musical performers, and nurturing talent.

Collaborated with AMDA host musical theater masterclasses in Taipei, Kaohsiung, Shanghai (Shanghai Culture Square, Drama Center), and Beijing (Tianqiao Performing Arts Center) from 2013 to 2017.
2017 Invited to serve as an overseas judge for the K-Musical Road Show, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea.

Produced Works (2013-2024):

The Wizard of Oz (Licensed from RSC)
There’s a Black Hole in the Couch!
Musical Taru! (Licensed from CulureHolic Korea)
Super Mommy
Rooftop Zoo
My Little Sun
Return to Zeelandia

Immersive 5G Theater Productions:

The Little Prince at AMBI SPACE Taipei 101
Rooftop Zoo at AMBI SPACE Taipei 101

Licensed Show Local Productions:

Peppa Pig
Baby Shark
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2023 World Hakka Expo: Producer of the outdoor landscape theater Hakka Yiwei War.

2018-2019: Producer of DaSi—Kuan Yu’s Celebration for the Taoyuan City Cultural Affairs Bureau.

Producer of The Teacher’s Secret Space at the National Theater. Curator of Performances for the Taipei Hakka Carnival, Producer of educational concerts for the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and Kaohsiung.

When planning a theater festival for children and youth, how should themes be selected and target audiences, directions for exploration of issues, and communication of values be decided?

Time: Friday, 25 October 2024, 15:30-17:10 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Moderator: KENG Yi-Wei
Panelist: Gerd TAUBE, Andrea Maria ERL, WANG Jhao-Cian, YU Hao-Wei
Introduction:

KENG Yi-Wei｜Dramaturg of National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), The 2023 Goethe Medal Recipient

KENG Yi-Wei is the dramaturg of National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), and a visiting assistant professor of theatre arts at National Taipei University of Arts. He was previously the artistic director of Taipei Arts Festival (2012-17) and curator of Taoyuan Iron Rose Festival (2018-22). He has received awards such as the Freundschaftsmedaille (2017) and Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2019). In 2023, he received the Goethe Medal, an official decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany and the most important award of the Federal Republic of Germany’s foreign cultural policy. 
Currently he is also the curator of the 2023-24 Tainan Arts Festival and in 2020, he co-curated the exhibition Between Earth and the Sky: The Spiritual State of Our Times with Jo Hsiao in Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

 

Gerd TAUBE｜Director of the Children's and Youth Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany in Frankfurt am Main

Prof. Dr Gerd Taube, born 1962
From 1984 to 1989, he studied theatre studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin. 
From 1989 to 1993, he was head dramaturge and deputy director at the municipal puppet theatre in Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz. 
He was then the founding director of the puppettheatre Schaubude Berlin, which he ran until 1997. 
Since 1997, he has directed the Children's and Youth Theatre Centre in the Federal Republic of Germany in Frankfurt am Main and is Artistic Director of the Biennale of German Theatre for Young Audiences AUGENBLICK MAL! in Berlin. 
From 1997 to 2014, he taught as a lecturer at the Institute for Youth Book Research at Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, and has been an honorary professor at the institute since 2014, teaching the theory and history of children's and young people's theatre and dramatic literature for children and young people. 
From 2009 to 2018, he was chairman of the Federal Association for Cultural Children's and Youth Education (BKJ), of which he had been a board member since 1999.
He publishes books, magazines and articles on puppet theatre, theatre for young audiences, young drama and cultural education.

 

Andrea Maria ERL｜Artistic Director of the Biennial European-Bavarian Bhildren's Theater Festival "panoptikum"

Andrea Maria Erl has been artistic director and director of the Theater Mummpitz in Nuremberg since 1994 and artistic director of the biennial European-Bavarian children's theater festival "panoptikum" since 2000. In addition, she is continuously active in the field of cultural policy and in various national and international associations for the promotion of professional children's and youth theater. She is a member of the Nuremberg Education Advisory Board, has been responsible for the conceptualization and project management of the 1st Nuremberg Cultural backpag since 2009. From February 2022 to February 2024, she was the artistic director of the three-year Jupiter project "Memories" in cooperation with the CIE Gare centrale/Belgium, the AdDK (academie of arts) Regensburg and the Theater Mummpitz. Since 2022 she works also as member of the Board of Trustees of the Fonds darstellende Künste .

 

WANG Jhao-Cian｜Artistic Director of Our Theatre

Wang Jhao-Cian, founder and artistic director of Our Theatre and founder of the experimental theater space “Sinkagitso” in Chiayi City.
• 2019-20: served as a board member of the Chiayi County Cultural Foundation.
• 2021: recognized as one of the "Twenty Future Leaders" by CommonWealth Magazine.
• 2021-22: Artist-in-residence at the National Theater and Concert Hall.
• 2023: received the New Talent Award at the Chiayi Cultural Awards.
During his college years, Wang Jhao-cian returned to his hometown to establish Our Theatre, leading the troupe to reside at the Chiayi County Performing Arts Center. Using theater as a base, he has been actively engaged in drama creation and promotion in the Chiayi region. In recent years, he has been dedicated to creating "New Era Taiwanese Theater," blending local cultural characteristics distinct from metropolitan perspectives, to create dramas with Southern Taiwan's distinctive features and viewpoints. He leads the troupe to launch new original Taiwanese works annually, with a focus on "common people's culture." Exploring the possibility of connecting "common people's culture and modern theater," he delves into grassroots investigations, and actively considers and practices how performing arts can more actively reach the public and connect with society and the world.

 

YU Hao-Wei｜Founder of Teenagers Performance Art League

Founder Yu Hao-Wei entered the theater arts domain in 2000 and established the "Teenagers Performance Art League" in 2006. For the past 24 years, he has overseen the national "Youth Drama Festival." The festival's primary significance lies not merely in cultivating talent but in guiding teenagers toward self-discovery, understanding their roles within society, and developing personal convictions and commitments.
In 2014, Yu began working with at-risk youth, launching the "Kite Project." Through this initiative, drama education has successfully reduced dropout rates and increased the progression rate to higher education by over 80% among students in alternative schools. Art as offered these young people, often in difficult circumstances, new perspectives and opportunities. By guiding even one youth away from a potentially destructive path, the project contributes to reducing future societal costs.
In 2022, Yu initiated the "Kite Runner - National Drama Education Support and Mentorship Program for Alternative Schools," aimed at sharing professional expertise and nurturing more "kite runners" who can support and mentor the young souls in need. In 2024, children from eight intermediary schools across Taiwan have the opportunity to attend a weekly drama class led by "The Kite Runner."
Teenagers Performance Art League connect resources from all sectors of society, inviting businesses to support the integration of theater applications with drama education. This partnership aims to plant a sustainable seed in the hearts of every young person they encounter, allowing the concept and spirit of sustainability to be passed down to the next generation through the combination of art and education. The future of the nation is determined by its youth, and together, we can build a better Taiwan.

Time: Friday, 25 October 2024, 19:00-19:40 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 2, Taipei Performing Arts Center

Musical theater for the youngest
Threads, shapes, fantasy, song.
For the eyes and ears of people aged 2 and over
 

A little thread appears.
He grows from one player to another
can sing and swing, can hum, coo and ring.
With his noises he entices to play:
Webs and mountains, lakes and animals are created.
And everything has its own sound.
A second thread appears – we are curious!

©Alexander Gonschior

In "Threads of Sound" (Klangfäden) the ensemble explores graphic forms and images with poetry and lightness, which find their direct musical correspondence in the singing and can thus be experienced by the eyes and ears. Inspired and enriched by the live singing of the jazz singer Mette Nadja Hansen, the ensemble creates surprising and constantly changing spatial and sound webs. A fine piece of magic almost without words.

Duration: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes aftermath)

Idea: Martina Couturier
Acting in Taipei: Mette Nadja Hansen, Brittanie Brown
Director: Christiane Ahlhelm, Petra Albersmann, Cinira Macedo, Anna Rosenfelder
Costume: Adelheid Wieser
Assistant Director: Victoria Kreiner

 

Theater Couturier

Martina Couturier is an actress, puppeteer and theater director in Berlin.  She develops plays for children, herewith being a guest at international festivals.
Martina draws from a variety of creative powers to tell small and touching stories. 
For this special production of "music theatre for the youngest“ Couturier has created an inherent poetic, musical and pictorial language theater.

The meaning of inclusion is to not exclude anyone. In children's and youth theater, how can we ensure inclusivity for children and youth, both in terms of venues and artistic creation?

Time: Saturday, 26 October 2024, 10:00-12:00 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Moderator: LIU Yi-Ruu
Speaker: Charlotte PFEIFER, Declan HURLEY, TSO Han-Chieh, WANG Heng
Introduction:

LIU Yi-Ruu｜General and Artistic Director of the National Theater and Concert Hall, Taipei

Yi-Ruu is the General and Artistic Director of the National Theater and Concert Hall, Taipei. She used to work as director’s secretary and deputy artistic director of the NTCH, supporting to establish the NTCH as Taiwan’s first ever administrative corporation, while helping it to conform with the international trend and promoting Taiwan through arts.

She was working with several performing arts groups and educational institutions in Taiwan, including Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Ju Percussion Group Foundation, Taiwan Art Administration and Management Society (TAAMS), and Taipei National University of the Arts. Yi-Ruu has also spent many years in the public relations and media fields, and is one of the few artistic managers who have comprehensive experience in enterprise, government, and academia.

 

Charlotte PFEIFER｜Theatre Director, Performer, Producer and Author

Charlotte Pfeifer (*1976) works as a theatre-director, performer, producer and author. She likes to combine theatrical situations with visual arts, music, choreography and audio-features, often outdoor and in public spaces. She also gives workshops for kids and adults that lead to a performance or another creative output.

The alumnus of "Schule für Schauspiel Hamburg" started to work as an actress, meanwhile studied literature and philosophy (Universität Hamburg).
She now creates own theatre pieces: as a solo-performer, with bigger groups or with the Artists-Group Traummaschine Inc., and sometimes as a performer for other directors, with shows in Hamburg, München, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Schleswig Holstein.
Charlotte Pfeifer often works with Pascal Fuhlbrügge (Erneuerbare Energien and Traummaschine Inc., Sibylle Peters (Geheimagentur and Fundus Theater/theatre of research), Kulturagenten Hamburg (workshops in schools), MeineDamenUndHerren (inclusive Theatre-Ensemble), kirschkern Compes & Co, frauenundfiktion, rotemeierei.
Her Performance-Project "PMS-Lounge" won the price of the audience as well as the price of the jury at "Hauptsache Frei-Festival" (Hamburg), and was invited to the "Impulse-Festival" (Düsseldorf) and the "Performing Arts & Friends Festival" (Berlin).
"Jetzt bestimme ich!" (Co-directing with Martina Vermaaten) has been invited to "Augenblick mal!" -Festival (Berlin).

Charlotte Pfeifer a.k.a. Boy H. Werner ist receiving a 3-year-promotion by the Ministry of Culture/Ministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur des Landes Schleswig-Holstein:
Grenzen und Ambivalenzen – Die Dithmarscher Botschaft (Edges and Ambivalence – The Embassy of Dithmarschen)

With the multidisciplinary Artists-Group TRAUMMASCHINE Inc. she produces theatre-plays and audio-features for children and young adults: "Die Traummaschine" (2013), "Arbeiten Gehen" (2015), "Die katastrophale Johanna" (2017) und "Meerschwein GbR" (2017), "Kids Carraldo" (2018), "Musik aus dem Totenreich" (2018) , "Die Wizards von Wiss" (2018), "O,Twist" (2019), "Hirn der Finsternis" (2020), the QR-Walk "Erkundungsgang ins Hirn der Finsternis" (2021), "Happs!" (2021), "Deathmarschen" (2022), "Die Beute" (2022), "Seestück" (2023), "skills&dreams" (2024). "Arbeiten gehen" has been invited to the northern-Germany Festival of Theatre for Children "Hart am Wind". "Hirn der Finsternis" was invited to "Hauptsache Frei" -Festival.
Traummaschine Inc. is receiving a 3-year-promotion for developing theatre-pieces about texts and textiles by the Kulturbehörde Hamburg.

www.charlottepfeifer.net
http://traummaschineinc.net/
https://rotemeierei.blogspot.com/

 

 

Declan Hurley｜Member of the Performance Group "Leute wie die"

Declan Hurley, born in Dublin in 1986, studied Fine Art Media at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin. During his bachelor diploma he began working as a video artist in theatre. Based in Berlin since 2011, he has worked freelance in venues such as Junges Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf, Staatstheater Hannover, National Theater Mannheim, Theater Strahl Berlin, FFT Düsseldorf and Theaterrevier Bochum. He works closely with director Wera Mahne. The two are part of the performance group Leute wie die. The group is made up of hearing and deaf people and together they explore the artistic possibilities of multilingual theatre. Since 2014 they have made theater for young audiences. Their next production Schattenkompass (WT) will premiere in Berlin in November 2024.

 

TSO Han-Chieh｜Artistic Director of Double & Cross Theater Group

Tso Han-Chieh is a theater producer, performer, and a mother. In 2014, she founded Double & Cross Theater Group located in Kaohsiung (Taiwan), and produced the first baby theater production in Taiwan- Ci Vuole Un Fiore in 2016.  Subsequently, she created two more theater works for young audience and babies: H2O in 2019 and World in a Word in 2022, and these productions have been invited and toured to different cities in Taiwan in the past few years. In 2020, Han-Chieh, Chan Pei-Chi and Emma Liao co-founded “Taiwan Baby Theater Lab” (recognized as TBTL). TBTL works as a platform with its mission to explore and to incubate the baby theater scenes in Taiwan, and to connect with Asian and international baby theater artists and groups via sharing each other’s experiences and approaches in order to work and support each other in the following years. 2022 Hanchieh and 18 children (around 6-10 years old) co-create a 40 minutes dance performance, and presented in WWY as a art project of Taiwan Dance Platform. 

 

WANG Heng｜Choreographer, Director, Educator, Performer  

She is focused on physical field projects and directing physical documentary theater, collaborating with theaters such as The Double Theatre, Duck Art Studio, Chum Dance, and Assembly Dance Theatre. Notable works include "GO! GO! AND BEYOND!," selected for the 2019 Taipei Fringe Festival's self-directed program at the Thinker's Studio; she was also invited to perform at the Taipei National Palace Museum's Autumn Arts Festival, the Want to Dance Festival, and the Hsinchu Light Arts Festival. Since 2021, she has collaborated with Duck Art Studio to develop Baby Theatre and a dance program for the deaf. The Baby Theatre launched the work "Baby Sound Wave," performed at the New Taipei City Government, Taoyuan Public Library, FarEasTone Telecommunications, and Pingtung Performing Arts Center. The dance program for the deaf, in collaboration with deaf artist Lin Ching-Lan, produced the work "Dance in Silence," performed at the Shulin Performing Arts Center, Fuzhong 15, Human Rights Arts Festival, Madou Zongye Cultural Center, and Taoyuan Exhibition Center. In 2023, she collaborated with the Industrial Technology Research Institute and C-Lab on "Feel Together: A Practice in Finding Empathy," developing a sound-converting vibrating vest. Starting in 2024, she will serve as the artistic director of the deaf theater group "Dear Moon Theatre of the Deaf " continuing to create new works and promote inclusive courses for the deaf and hard of hearing.

How can we create theater spaces that engage children and youth? The panelists will discuss multiple aspects, including spatial design and construction, operating strategies, and artistic inspiration and participation.

Time: Saturday, 26 October 2024, 13:10-14:50 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Moderator: Victoria WANG
Panelist: Tina JÜCKER, Christina SCHULZ, WANG Jun-Jieh, CHIEN Wen-Pin
Introduction:

Victoria WANG｜Chairwoman and Artistic Director of the Taipei Performing Arts Center

Victoria Wang is currently the Chairwoman and Artistic Director of the Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC), of which she was on secondment from the position as a professor at the Department of Music at National Tsing Hua University. 

Her master's degree was obtained from Columbia University in NYC majoring in Theatre Management and Educational Administration in 1991, and her professional career as a manager, consultant, and producer has started ever since.

She is best known for her courageous programming for the arts on stage. When acting as the founding Artistic Director for the National Taichung Theater (NTT) from 2014 to 2018, she started a Wagner’s Ring Cycle project for four years from 2016 NTT’s opening, which marked the premiere of this epic opera in Taiwan. Before NTT, Victoria’s challenge was to remount the Taipei Arts Festival from a community gathering to an art-driven annual event. Romeo Castellucci, Robert Lapage and Robert Wilson were, therefore, introduced to the Taiwan audience.

For TPAC, her commitment is to create a modern theatre where people see a better self and a wider world through arts and conversations.

 

Tina JÜCKER｜Co-Artistic Director of Theater Marabu

Tina Jücker (born 1962), studied social and theater pedagogy. Initially worked as managing director at the "Bundesverband studentische Kulturarbeit", later guest lecturer for theater pedagogy at the "Akademie Remscheid". 
1993 Founded Theater Marabu together with Claus Overkamp. 
As artistic co-director, primarily responsible for the conception and further development of Theater Marabu's theatrical profile. She has also been active as a performer and director from the very beginning.
"We are interested in theater that deals humorously with the pressing issues of the present and seeks dialogue with the audience.“
Theater Marabu's work has won several awards and is regularly presented at festivals. 

 

Christina SCHULZ｜Co-Director of the Theater an der Parkaue – Junges Staatstheater Berlin 

 

Christina Schulz, born in 1972 on Rügen, holds a PhD in economics. Since 2021, she has co-directed the Theater an der Parkaue – Junges Staatstheater Berlin together with director Alexander Riemenschneider. She works in curation and cultural policy and initiates the theater's collaborations in the field of art for young audiences, as well as with actors in cultural and political education. Her work also focuses on diversity-sensitive organizational development and opening the institution to diverse perspectives and participation. She represents the Theater an der Parkaue in initiatives such as Fairstage, working groups of children's and youth theaters in Berlin and nationwide as well as in the state association of the Berliner Bühnenverein.

Before her current role, Christina Schulz led the national competitions of the Berliner Festspiele, from 2009 to 2021, where she advocated for the artistic development of young people. In 2013, she founded the Tanztreffen der Jugend. Her doctoral dissertation was dedicated to a regulatory policy analysis of the public cultural funding system in Germany in the field of performing arts, with a focus on cultural education.

 

WANG Jun-Jieh｜Director of Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Director of Taipei Fine Arts Museum, professor at the Department of New Media Art of the Taipei National University of the Arts. He graduated from the HdK Art Academy in Berlin, completing a master class. In 1984, Wang started working with video art and became one of the pioneers of new media art in Taiwan. He received the Hsiung-Shih New Artists Award in Taiwan, and the Berlin Television Tower Award. He is selected by the prestigious Japanese art magazine "Bijutsu Techo" as one of "100 notable artists".
Wang has been active in the international contemporary art arena. Invitations to major international exhibitions came from the Gwangju Biennale, the Venice Biennale, the Taipei Biennial, the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Transmediale Berlin, and the European Media Art Festival…etc.
His main work as curator includes: "B!AS: International Sound Art Exhibition" (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2005), "2006 Taipei Biennial: Dirty Yoga" (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2006), “Re-Base: When Experiments Become Attitude” (C-LAB, 2018), "The Wild Eighties: Dawn of a Transdisciplinary Taiwan" (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2022), "A One and A Two: Edward Yang Retrospective" (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2023)… etc.
Wang’s work in interdisciplinary theatre and design in recent years includes: directing the unmanned technological media theatre Sin City in 2013 and creating The Night of Sodom (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2015). He served as Staging Visual Director for the Taiwan premiere of Wagner’s complete opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen in collaboration with the National Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan in 2006, Wagner's opera "Parsifal" (National Symphony Orchestra,2006), and Puccini's opera "Turandot" (Deutsche Oper am Rhein, 2015)…etc.

 

CHIEN Wen-Pin｜General and Artistic Director of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

CHIEN Wen-Pin, General and Artistic Director of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), was born in 1967, graduated from the National Taiwan Academy of Arts and awarded with Master degree at the National University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Chien joined the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Dusseldorf/Duisburg, Germany) in 1996 and served as “Kapellmeister” for 22 years. 1998-2004 he was Resident Conductor of the Pacific Music Festival (Sapporo, Japan), 2001-2007 he was Music Director of National Symphony Orchestra (Taiwan Philharmonic), 2014-2016 Chien was Artistic Advisor of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. In September 2018 he became the first General and Artistic Director of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying). 2014 Chien was winner of the "National Award for Arts“.

Time: Saturday, 26 October 2024, 15:00-15:40 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 2, Taipei Performing Arts Center

Musical theater for the youngest
Threads, shapes, fantasy, song.
For the eyes and ears of people aged 2 and over
 

A little thread appears.
He grows from one player to another
can sing and swing, can hum, coo and ring.
With his noises he entices to play:
Webs and mountains, lakes and animals are created.
And everything has its own sound.
A second thread appears – we are curious!

©Alexander Gonschior

In "Threads of Sound" (Klangfäden) the ensemble explores graphic forms and images with poetry and lightness, which find their direct musical correspondence in the singing and can thus be experienced by the eyes and ears. Inspired and enriched by the live singing of the jazz singer Mette Nadja Hansen, the ensemble creates surprising and constantly changing spatial and sound webs. A fine piece of magic almost without words.

Duration: 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes aftermath)

Idea: Martina Couturier
Acting in Taipei: Mette Nadja Hansen, Brittanie Brown
Director: Christiane Ahlhelm, Petra Albersmann, Cinira Macedo, Anna Rosenfelder
Costume: Adelheid Wieser
Assistant Director: Victoria Kreiner

 

Theater Couturier

Martina Couturier is an actress, puppeteer and theater director in Berlin.  She develops plays for children, herewith being a guest at international festivals.
Martina draws from a variety of creative powers to tell small and touching stories. 
For this special production of "music theatre for the youngest“ Couturier has created an inherent poetic, musical and pictorial language theater.

What are the diverse needs of young audiences? These will be explored from various perspectives, including the philosophy and methods of age categorization, differences between urban and rural areas and among ethnic groups, impact of school curricula, and techniques for incorporating children's language.

Time: Saturday, 26 October 2024, 15:50-17:30 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Moderator: JEN Chien-Cheng 
Panelist: Lena RIEMER, Andrea Maria ERL, HSU Wan-Ying, HSIEH Hung-Wen
Introduction:

JEN Chien-Cheng ｜Executive Director of the Paperwindmill Cultural Foundation

1990 Graduated from the Department of Theatre Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts  
1995 Studied in the Department of Theatre, Université Paris III  
2018 Graduated from the EMBA program, National Taiwan University/Fudan University  

JEN Chien-Cheng came to study theater by chance. Due to his love of children, he has worked in the children’s theater field for 36 years and is a veteran of the Paper Windmill Theatre.

His roles in the Paper Windmill Theatre have included director, playwright, actor, lecturer, stage designer, and stage manager. He has also been involved in event planning, marketing, and publicity, and currently serves as the company’s director.

He is also well experienced in organizing and curating arts education and large-scale events, including participation in a children's theater promotional program of the Council for Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Culture), leading a youth theater activities promotional project, and curating and organizing the Paper Windmill Gulliver Human Anatomy Art Exploration, the Paper Windmill House of Dinosaurs Art Exploration, and the Paper Windmill Taiwanese Animals and Insects Creative Exhibition. Moreover, he was named the executive director for the banquet held to celebrate the inauguration of the 10th President/Vice President of the Republic of China and oversaw the production of a “happiness maze” in the square outside the National Theater and Concert Hall for the Presidential Office's New Year's Eve celebration.

The Paper Windmill Cultural and Educational Foundation has developed numerous public arts initiatives, including the 319 Townships Children’s Art Project, 368 Townships Children's Arts Project, Anti-Drugs for Teens Theatre Project, and Countryside Arts Truck Project.

 

Lena RIEMER｜Author and Playwright, Member of the Team of the Augenblick Mal! Festival

Lena Riemer (*2002) is a German author and playwright. She studied German literature, sociology and creative writing in Dusseldorf and Leipzig. In 2021, she joined the team of the Augenblick Mal! Festival with the aim to make discourse on theatre more accessible for children and young adults. Lena Riemer understands her work as a mediation between the wants and needs of theatre professionals and young audiences. Lena Riemer lives in Leipzig. Her works have been published in several anthologies and her first theatre play will be performed in Vienna in November 2024.

 

Andrea Maria ERL｜Artistic Director of the Biennial European-Bavarian Bhildren's Theater Festival "panoptikum"

 

Andrea Maria Erl has been artistic director and director of the Theater Mummpitz in Nuremberg since 1994 and artistic director of the biennial European-Bavarian children's theater festival "panoptikum" since 2000. In addition, she is continuously active in the field of cultural policy and in various national and international associations for the promotion of professional children's and youth theater. She is a member of the Nuremberg Education Advisory Board, has been responsible for the conceptualization and project management of the 1st Nuremberg Cultural backpag since 2009. From February 2022 to February 2024, she was the artistic director of the three-year Jupiter project "Memories" in cooperation with the CIE Gare centrale/Belgium, the AdDK (academie of arts) Regensburg and the Theater Mummpitz. Since 2022 she works also as member of the Board of Trustees of the Fonds darstellende Künste .

 

HSU Wan-Ying｜Artistic Director of Ifkids Theatre Company

Having graduated from the Theater Department of Taipei National University of the Arts, Wan-Ying went to Western Michigan University to receive her master’s degree in Drama/Theatre for the Young.  She has been the Artistic Director of Ifkids Theatre Company for over 20 years.  She is an assistant professor at several famous universities, including National Taiwan University, Taipei National University of the Arts, and National Taiwan University of the Arts.
Through conducting workshops, designing children’s theater curricula, and publishing books, Wan-Ying has contribute her talent in many ways.  She has organized many international children’s theater festivals and participated in countless events all over the world, including Asia, Europe, Africa, and America.
Wan-Ying has written and directed over 30 plays, including the most beloved series of The Detective Pig’s Secret Files.  The series has been performed across many platforms, including theater performance, online shows, and Podcasts.  Her whole body of work has toured around Taiwan and all over the world.
Besides her exciting theater work, she is also a dedicated children’s theater educator.  She has been the curriculum designer and consultant for the project, “Play Fun House,” organized by the National Theater of Taiwan.

 

HSIEH Hung-Wen｜Children's Literature Author and Children's Theatre Critics

Mr. Hsieh is Fun Space Experimental School Teacher, the CEO of the Lin Zhong Long Children's Literature Promotion Studio, and also is a minority children's theatre critics in Taiwan.
Once obtained Asian Children's Literature Conference paper award and received more than 30 literary awards in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong.
He has written children's books including "Rain Ear" and "Circus Engagement". He has written and directed children's theatre pieces including "Where is My Home?" and "A Legendary Savage Bull".

Objects, puppets, and music can be both protagonists and supporting characters. When they are used together, how can they enhance the impact of children's and youth theater productions?

Time: Sunday, 27 October 2024, 10:00-12:00 (Taipei Time GMT+8)
Venue: 11F Studio 1, Taipei Performing Arts Center
Moderator: KENG Yi-Wei
Speaker: Tim SANDWEG, Christian FUCHS, SHIH Peiyu, HUNG Hsin-Huei 
Introduction:

KENG Yi-Wei｜Dramaturg of National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), The 2023 Goethe Medal Recipient

KENG Yi-Wei is the dramaturg of National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), and a visiting assistant professor of theatre arts at National Taipei University of Arts. He was previously the artistic director of Taipei Arts Festival (2012-17) and curator of Taoyuan Iron Rose Festival (2018-22). He has received awards such as the Freundschaftsmedaille (2017) and Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2019). In 2023, he received the Goethe Medal, an official decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany and the most important award of the Federal Republic of Germany’s foreign cultural policy. 
Currently he is also the curator of the 2023-24 Tainan Arts Festival and in 2020, he co-curated the exhibition Between Earth and the Sky: The Spiritual State of Our Times with Jo Hsiao in Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

 

Tim SANDWEG｜Dramaturge, Artistic Director of Schaubude Berlin and the International Festival Theater der Dinge - Berlin

Tim Sandweg studied theater studies and German philology at the Freie Universität Berlin before joining the Puppentheater Magdeburg as a dramaturg in 2009, where he was also co-artistic director of the international puppet theater festival Blickwechsel. Since then, he has developed various plays and formats. Works as a dramaturge and performer in various independent and institutional production contexts. Tim Sandweg is currently chairman of the German Forum for Figure Theater and Puppetry in Bochum and represents the field on the theater advisory board of the Goethe Institute. Various works as a juror, teaching assignments and lecturing activities. Since the beginning of the 2015/16 season, Tim Sandweg has been Artistic Director of the Schaubude Berlin. Under his direction, the theater has developed various festival, presentation and production formats and introduced the discussion of digital transformation as constant part of the program. In 2017, the production house received the German Theatre Prize (Theaterpreis des Bundes); Tim Sandweg was awarded the ASSITEJ Organizer Prize in 2019. 

 

Christian FUCHS｜Director and Puppeteer

Christian Fuchs is a director and puppeteer. He was born in Düsseldorf in 1972 and studied Music Theater Directing as a scholarship holder of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes in Hamburg. Since 2003 he has been working as a freelance director in opera and puppet theater, among others in Würzburg, Halle, Erfurt and Leipzig. He was dramaturge at the Theater Waidspeicher Erfurt, head of the Young Theater at the Theater Nordhausen and project manager at the Theater der Jungen Welt Leipzig. Since August 2019 he has been working as a freelance director and puppeteer and is living with his family in Leipzig.

 

SHIH Peiyu｜Artistic Director of Flying-group Theatre

 

In 1995, she worked as a puppet designer and worked with modern theatre, National Symphony Orchestra, and Guoguang Opera Company in Taiwan. In 2004 she founded the Flying-group Theatre. Her works include space, objects and puppet, and shadow creation is her strength. She has worked with France, Malaysia and Hong Kong from 2015 to 2016, and her works has been invited to perform in France, Japan, the Netherlands, and Singapore. She curates Close to YOU international puppet festival from 2010 to now.

 

HUNG Hsin-Huei ｜Founder of Bon Appétit Theatre

The founder of Bon Appétit Theatre, Hsin graduated from the Department of Theater Arts at National Sun Yat-sen University and holds a Master’s degree in Acting from East 15 Acting School, University of Essex. Formerly an instructor at Taipei American School’s TYPA, she is currently working as a theater director. Her works have been selected for the Taiwan Season at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Huashan Children’s Arts Festival, Taipei Children’s Arts Festival, Changhua Children’s Arts Festival, and Taichung Children’s Arts Festival. She has also collaborated with the 2020 Creative Expo Taiwan, Singapore’s Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (Huayi - Chinese Festival of Arts), Wordwave Festival, National Theater and Concert Hall Performing Arts Library, Kaohsiung Weiwuying, the UK’s Make Mend and Do Theatre Company, and Denmark’s Madam Bach Theatre Company. Focusing on original stories, her creative approach explores themes such as the meaning of life, symbiosis, and environmental consciousness. Utilizing collective improvisation and mixed media—including physical performance, sound, light and shadow, puppetry, and objects—she creates works with a fantastical allegorical style. Recently, she has been delving into the diversity of sound theater and developing corresponding narrative content.