A fragrant blossom, born from mud
In Our Theatre’s Taiwanese name, Guán Kio'k-Thuân, “guán” means “we,” reflecting the interactive and collaborative nature of theater. From its inception, Our Theatre has defined itself as a “theater of homecoming,” serving as a creative hub for Chiayi County. The group emphasizes responsibility to one’s homeland, maintaining that theater can act as a force for social change.
Since 2009, the company has held its Grasstraw Festival annually, transforming Chiayi County’s performing arts centers into engines of creativity and offering youth a stage on which to perform. Each October, Our Theatre organizes a half-year theatrical training course for those interested in performing. The course culminates in a collaborative theatrical work created by participants and company members, with a public performance held at the next Grasstraw Festival.
Theater can be a journey of self-discovery for many adolescents, yielding new insights into their untapped potential. A timid girl cast as a bulb of garlic can build self-esteem when she discovers that garlic, while seemingly mundane, actually plays a vital role in the flavor of many dishes. When parents see how earnestly their children express themselves on stage, they may realize that adolescents aren’t simply rebellious and incommunicative; they just require more patience and understanding.
The Grassstraw Festival has gradually grown in scale; it is now a major cultural event, featuring theater, outdoor performances, fairs, cultural lectures, and all manner of artistic activities. Each spring, dozens of artistic groups converge on Chiayi for the two-week performance festival, drawing a total audience of more than 5000.
Unlike urban children, young students in rural areas often lack exposure to the arts; to remedy this, Our Theatre has brought the arts directly to them. In 2011, the group launched its “Chiayi Countryside Project,” affording students at over 70 Chiayi-area schools with under 100 pupils the opportunity to enjoy the arts.
Using its own funding, the company makes visits to 15 schools each year in hopes that students will get to see at least one play before they graduate. In addition to lighting up the children’s faces with interactive performances, the company members also help students draw maps of their communities. The maps encourage students to reflect on the uniqueness of their lives and the places around them. Wang Jhao-cian sees these small tokens as gifts for the students, and a way to spread the seeds of creativity.
Ever experimental, Our Theatre also collaborates with Taichung’s Chio Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe. Shuttling between Taichung and Chiayi, the two groups exchange experiences as drummers and actors; this year, the members of Chio Tian will perform Restricted Area, a play written by the actors of Our Theater, who also offered theatrical advice for the production. With a formal collaboration in the works for next year, the two groups hope to explore the possibilities of live performance.
The success of Macbeth: Paint It, Black! has also set the stage for a second collaboration between Our Theatre and Ryuzanji, featuring an original script by Our Theatre. With its roots in Chiayi, the company draws inspiration from its homeland—like nutrients from the earth. They have shared their theatrical ardor and prowess with the world, showing just what Wang describes: “We stand on the earth, covered in mud—we may not be pretty, but we’re real.”
Replete with documentary flavor, the experimental work Ka ê Bōng-Sióng (“Household Delusion”) incorporates field research, recorded projections, and theatrical performance. (photo by Huang Jiong-che, courtesy of Our Theatre)
Held each spring, Our Theatre’s Grasstraw Festival is a major cultural event in Chiayi, drawing spectators from all over Taiwan. (courtesy of Our Theatre)
Our Theater’s “Chiayi Countryside Project” brings theater to rural schools, planting the seeds of art far and wide. (photo courtesy of Our Theatre)
Our Theater’s “Chiayi Countryside Project” brings theater to rural schools, planting the seeds of art far and wide. (photo by Tsai Kun-long)
Entirely homegrown, Our Theater relies on youthful creativity and passion for theater to win the hearts of fans both young and old.
Our Theatre and Japanese theater director Show Ryuzanji