2025 TCAF: Community-Bird Migrants

★ Music × Puppetry × Shadow Play

★ A fable focusing on migrant workers and environmental issues

★ Nurturing Global Citizenship in Children

A modern fable for drifting souls,
beginning with the eyes of a child, revealing the world in a new light.
Between shadows and light, a journey through air unfolds—
a search for the road that leads us home.

Bird Migrants is a modern fable play co-created by Chang Wei Loy and Chen Zi Yin from Sun Son Theatre. The work puts the spotlight on social issues in Taiwan, exploring the challenges faced by migrant workers and immigrants in contemporary society. The story is inspired by real news and includes allegorical poems from the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore's Stray Birds.

A little bird from the countryside says goodbye to its Grandpa Tree and flies to the big city to start a new adventure. In the unfamiliar urban environment, the bird and its companions face many challenges, even mistaking the reflection of the blue sky on tall building windows for the real sky. Meanwhile, Grandpa Tree waits patiently for the bird to come back, but it doesn’t return. 

This work is inspired by a social issue. One year, in Hong Kong, co-creator Chang Wei Loy heard about “window strikes,” a piece of news that left a deep impression on him. Despite having wings to fly freely, birds misjudge glass reflections and crash into towering buildings, leading to their tragic deaths. Chang Wei Loy drew a parallel between this phenomenon and the struggles of migrant workers striving to survive in foreign lands. Through their personification in the little birds, the performance serves as a poignant metaphor for those who leave their homeland in pursuit of a better life, only to be sacrificed amidst the illusions of urban prosperity.

Bird Migrants encourages children to think independently and care about social issues. Using bird characters and a unique blend of live music, puppetry, and shadow play, the show welcomes and engages audiences of all ages. More than just a show, it encourages parents and children to talk about important social topics together.

Sun Son Theatre

Founded in 1998, Sun Son Theatre is a distinctive contemporary group that blends live music, physical movement, and drama to create immersive performances. Led by Artistic Director Leonson Ng, they believe in the power of body and sound as unique forms of self-expression. This philosophy drives their commitment to exploring creativity and innovation in theatre.

Sun Son Theatre thrives on collaboration, bringing together artists from diverse fields such as music, theatre, dance, and fine arts. This interdisciplinary approach allows them to produce works where acting, live music, and dance seamlessly integrate, creating dynamic, multi-layered experiences for audiences.

Their works embrace a diverse range of performing styles, from indoor to outdoor performances, spanning ritualistic, experimental, and family-friendly theater, expanding the possibilities of modern theater. Rooted in Sun Son Theatre, it has grown into Sun Son Percussion Ensemble and Sun Son Plus, continuously exploring interdisciplinary performing arts.