2026 TAF:4 CHAIRS THEATRE The Sun

Before there is understanding, we are destined to kill one another.

Extreme positions, ideological divides…

Between day and night lie the shadows of extinction and the promise of evolution.

★ Tomohiro Maekawa X Tora Hsu: A reinterpretation of a contemporary Japanese classic.
★ Inaugural Taipei Theatre Award winner for Best Director and Best Video Design.
★ Selected for the 2026 Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts in Singapore, with a highly anticipated return to the Taipei Arts Festival.
★ A dystopian theatrical masterpiece with prophetic undertones.

In the late 21st century, an unidentified virus sweeps across the globe, splitting humanity into two races: newly evolved humans, known as Nox, who are rational, long-lived, and rule the world but who are only able to come out at night; and uninfected humans that have not evolved, known as Curios. Although able to tolerate sunlight, Curios are forced to live in poor chaotic conditions in an autonomous region. Upon fulfilling the requirements for evolution, two Curios, who have known each other since childhood, develop diverging ideas about the future. A young Nox guard inadvertently sets off a conflict between them and their village that threatens their very survival. In the face of extreme positions, ideological divides, and different realities, the only consensus is the will to survive.

Following its premiere in early 2011, Tomohiro Maekawa's The Sun sent shock waves through Japan with a subsequent adaptation by legendary director Yukio Ninagawa. In addition, a film version of the same title was made and starred Ryunosuke Kamiki. At the time, no one could have known that this science fiction premise would become prophecy, as humanity was forced to undergo a test of survival. In 2024, 4 CHAIRS THEATRE and its artistic director Tora Hsu revisited this classic from a post-pandemic perspective, creating a Taiwanese version directed by Hsu, with script adaptation by Chen Yi-En. Following its premiere at the Taipei Arts Festival, it received rave reviews, as well as six nominations for the inaugural Taipei Theatre Awards in 2025, winning in the Best Director and Best Video Design categories. In early 2026, The Sun began its international tour at the Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts in Singapore. This October, this philosophical fable with prophetic undertones returns to the Taipei Arts Festival, to once again question humanity's divisions and choices in its quest for survival as it faces global upheaval.

 ⍚ About the Artist  

Tora Hsu, Taiwan
Artistic Director of 4 CHAIRS THEATRE, Tora Hsu holds an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and is currently a full-time lecturer in the Department of Theatre Arts at Taipei National University of the Arts, as well as a co-curator of the 2025 Tainan Arts Festival. He was selected as one of Performing Arts Review (PAR) Magazine’s “People of the Year” in 2021 and was a recipient of the Cloud Gate’s ”Art Makers Project” in 2022. As a theatre director, his works span a wide spectrum—from Taiwanese originals and localized adaptations to popular entertainment and socially engaged theatre. His creative vision centers on collectivity, pursuing a text-based “new realism” aesthetic. Several of his productions have been nominated for the Taishin Arts Award. He received the Best Director Award at the inaugural Taipei Theatre Awards for The Sun, and his work is also supported by the 2025 Taipei Theater MVP Grant from Taipei Performing Arts Center.

Tomohiro Maekawa, Japan
Born in Japan in 1974. Playwright and director.

He founded his theater company and the base for his activities, Ikiume, in 2003. He depicts the relationship between humans and invisible things, as well as the human psyche from worlds hidden behind everyday life.

His directing is characterized by seamlessly editing space and time. His unique style incorporating elements of science fiction, philosophy, and the occult has attracted much attention and acclaim. Notable works include Strolling Invader and The Sun.