Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Jury’s Comments for the 22nd Performing Arts Award Winner

Who’s Koxinga? utilizes a quadripartite structure of time and space, prompting a multifaceted discourse on the leader of the first Han Chinese regime in Taiwan, Koxinga. With a fantastical and enigmatic setting, the production employs an onion-like narrative that peels layer by layer. The appearing and disappearing of historical figures, drawn from diverse periods and perspectives, interweave their voices within the dialogues, creating a bizarre and bustling stage. Through their masterful performances, the two actors elevate the drama into an indelible experience. The play exhibits an echoic structure, where the beginning resonates with the end, unlocking the full potential of narrative in traditional Taiwanese opera. On the basis of traditional artistic techniques, it ventures into innovative experimentation and historical reflection.

Comments on the Finalist 

Among the theatrical productions featuring the topic of Koxinga, this production is a rather special one. On the one hand, the story depicts life in a theatre troupe in the early days so that the audiences get a glimpse of the hardship when the Kingdom of Tungning was initially founded three centuries ago. On the other hand, the piece portrays actors’ thoughts in contemporary times, enabling us to understand the decline of traditional theater today and its inevitable and much needed transformation. However, the playwright and the director are not satisfied with only this juxtaposition, but view this play as a corridor connecting “the present and the past” as well as the space between “dreaming and wakefulness.” The beginning and the end of the narrative echo and complement each other, making the viewing experience even more fantastic and incredible. Through blending traditional and contemporary theater, the entire production links the history of the Zheng dynasty and Taiwan’s status quo, which is indeed ingenious and caters to both refined and popular tastes. (Commentator: CHANG You-Sheng)

Artwork Introduction

Who’s Koxinga is based on the theme of Taiwanese monsters and focuses on the legendary figure of Koxinga as its creative target. The production attempts to integrate three perspectives: “Koxinga in Han Chinese/International History,” “Koxinga in Folklore,” and “Koxinga in Urban Legends,” to complete a Taiwanese opera performance embodying the concept of “a play within a play within a play.” Actors KU Yi-Fan and LIU Kuan-Liang delivered powerful performances, portraying different versions of Koxinga and historical figures whose lives were entangled with him. They even delved into their personal experiences involving supernatural encounters to blur the lines between reality and fiction when the audience viewed the performance. 

About the Artist

The Taipei Seagull Theater, founded in 2012, is a modern theater company led by director SUNG Hou-Kuan. Upon its establishment, the theater company immediately launched the “Theater History Advocacy Plan”to find contemporary meanings in Western classic scripts. In recent years, the theater company has focused on its native culture, emphasizing cross-border dialogues between the modern and the traditional as well as the exchange between the East and the West. Original works and cross-border traditional operas constitute the theater company’s core of attention.

Production Team

Playwright, Director: Sung Hou-Kuan 

Actors: Ku Yi-Fan,  Liu Kuan Liang 

Dramaturg: Chanh Chi-Feng

Co-writer: Tshuà I̍t-suân 

Producer: Jiang Sin Ru

Pre-production: Liu Wanyi 

Musical Arrangement Design: Chen Hsin Han 

Sound Design: Ko ChunYuan

Stage Manager: Lin ChenYu

Stage Design: Lin Shih-Lun 

Lighting Design: Liu Po-Hsin 

Costume Design: Lin Yu Yuan 

Arena Sound Design: Shao Ko-Han

Graphic Design and Theater Photography: Lin Yu Quan 

Photography Documentation:  HoShunKing Artistic Workshop

Promotional Video Director: Ho Meng-Hsueh

Stage Technical Director: Liou Boryan

Lighting Technical Director: Yeh Hsiu-Pin

Costume and Props Management: Liao Ying Syuan

Director's Assistant: Sun Yu Sheng