Taiwan Theater Artists Return to Malaysia for George Town Festival 2024

Peking opera and puppetry performers from Taiwan are showing off their skills at the annual George Town Festival in Malaysia.

Transcript

00:00A dramatic puppet show on stage, and behind a curtain is an underground theatre group

00:07from Taiwan, the Flying Group Theatre.

00:10They're part of an ensemble of Taiwanese performance groups taking the stage in Georgetown, Malaysia,

00:15for its 15th annual International Art Festival.

00:18Flying Group says they put on a different show wherever they go, interacting with the

00:22city spaces through their puppets.

00:24Why do we need to go to a new city?

00:27Because we want to use our puppets to get close to the audience.

00:31We would say it's a distraction.

00:33We want people to have different feelings about performing.

00:37There are also more extravagant performances from Taiwan.

00:41Guoguang Opera Company performed for a nearly full house.

00:45They've gradually built up a name for themselves among local audiences.

00:49They say it takes some work to keep people coming to their shows.

00:52Modern audiences tend to think that the stories in Chinese operas

00:56are different from those of contemporary audiences.

00:59So, on the one hand, Guoguang allows the actors to

01:03take on the skills of traditional Chinese operas.

01:06On the other hand, we pay great attention to the aesthetics of modern theatre

01:10to support our different themes.

01:12It's the sixth time Taiwan has taken part in the event,

01:15where artists from 17 other countries gather to celebrate creative freedom

01:20that stretches beyond space and time.

01:36The festival even has a special bond with Taiwan.

01:39For the past six years, artists from Taiwan have participated

01:43in a special program called Isle to Isle,

01:45launched to celebrate the friendship between the islands of Penan and Taiwan.

01:49The Peking operas and puppets seem to have found their place here,

01:53serving as a snapshot of the diverse faces of Taiwan's theatre.

02:12The Georgetown Festival will go on for 10 days.

02:15Most displays are dedicated to local performers,

02:18with international artists from Taiwan, Indonesia, Italy and more sharing the stage.

02:23Andy Xue and Ai-Ring Lin for Taiwan Plus.