Acknowledgement

Launched on 7/5/2000
Updated on 1/13/2003

Elfin

The innovations and future direction

"In the wave of enthusiasm for things Taiwanese, can Taiwanese Opera, long seen as too common and vulgar to appear in first-class performance venues, turn over a new leaf?"(Tsai) More and more people start to think this question, and performances are refined by many different ways. Well-done scripts are used by the open-air stage show or theater stage show. Some famous troupes, e.g. Ho Lo Taiwanese Opera Troupe and Ming Hua Yuan, which successfully earn modern audiences attention are based on their excellent scripts and their good actors. "Art director (of Ho Lo Taiwanese Opera Troupe) Te-Li Chen feels that only test of successful innovation is whether the drama is more beautiful, and offers deeper insights into human native"(Tsai). In addition, professional directors and western theater workers such as stage managers are draw into this traditional performance. "The key weakness of Taiwanese Opera today is a lack of skilled people and the difficulty of maintaining 'refinement'"(Tsai). By collaborating with more specialists in music, directing, acting, costume, make-up, and so on, the performers can concentrate on the drama itself and the quality of the performances can be maintained easier. More and more new tunes are composed for new dramas recently, because "when the old songs are no longer adequate to evoke a particular emotion, then there's no choice but to write new pieces" (Tsai).

"The problem with the current pattern of glorification - in which anything labeled 'native Taiwanese' can only be bathed in praise and no criticism is allow - is that this may not be helpful to the healthy growth of Taiwanese Opera overall"(Tsai). That modern people don't like Taiwanese Opera for the sake of old fashion is not a big barrier of new Taiwanese Opera. The hidden weakness of Taiwanese Opera is that people are often too emotional to accept the criticism. Many people take care about Taiwanese Opera now, but "what Taiwanese Opera really needs is not 'water', which is already too much, but 'soil' in which it can set roots" (Tsai). More professional workers are needed and so are the audiences who can criticize the performance well. In addition, by enhancing and renewing the training of new performers and relevant workers, the free essence allows Taiwanese Opera itself to progress more and more. The good thing is that not only those big teams or famous Taiwanese Opera troupes are seeking for innovation, but also many small troupes which mainly perform street shows before also work very hard to innovate.

"For a long time, Taiwanese Opera, which had no state protection, survived on its own by relying on its vitality" (Tsai). From the performing styles and performers of Taiwanese Opera, Gua-A-He shows a strong surviving power and its dynamic characteristic. It is the freedom and diversity of "Gua-A-He" that allows Taiwanese Opera to adapt into the modern society and to develop into a more powerful and alive art performance. Taiwanese Opera, like Taiwanese people, always finds her way. Another flourishing period of Gua-A-He is deeply expected.

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Reference:
Tsai, Wen-Ting; Sinorama Magazine, June 1997
(1)New Direction for Taiwanese Opera (2)Too Much Water, Too Little Soil



Elfin 7/5/2000