Taipei, Aug. 10 (CNA) Eleven programs and one exhibition from eight countries will be showcased at the upcoming 2017 Taipei Arts Festival, said a representative for the festival at a press conference held at City Stage Taipei Thursday.
The programs will include Faust, the latest collaboration from Germany's Christoph Lepschy and Taiwan's Contemporary Legend Theater production which will be performed from Sept. 8 to 11 at Taipei Zhongshan Hall. The production contains over 12,000 lines exploring life's love, ambitions and wisdom.
Also included is GHOST by France's Pascal Rambert and Taiwan's Tainaner Ensemble, which uses beautiful dialogue to address the problems people face in life and will be performed from Aug. 11 to 20 at the Wellspring Theater in Zhongzheng District, Taipei.
Up to 90 percent of the tickets have already been sold for Warten auf Godot, a lively and energetic production by Germany's Deutsches Theater Berlin which is scheduled from Aug.11 to 13 at City Stage Taipei.
Tickets are sold out for THE B-SIDE: "Negro Folklore From Texas State Prisons," A Record Album Interpretation by The Wooster Group, USA, which will premiere in September at the Wellspring Theater.
Taipei Arts Festival Artistic Director Keng Yi-wei said that as a child he loved to watch the sea in his hometown of Hualien.
"A certain feeling of happiness arises when watching the sea and inspires much creativity."
He said that this year's curatorial theme is "The City and Its Future" as people living in urban areas become more lonely. Although such people are unable to immerse themselves in nature by for example watching the ocean, the arts bring imagination to a city and with it happiness.
The Taipei Arts Festival, sponsored by Taipei City government and co-organized by its Department of Cultural Affairs and Taipei Culture Foundation, has been held since 1998. The performances are hosted in multiple venues across Taipei and promote cultural exchanges with other cities.
