Taipei City Government

Art has the power to change the way we view the world. Viewed through this medium, even the everyday and the mundane are invigorated with new energy. This is a power that can change the worldview of both creator and audience alike. Each year the Taipei Arts Festival invites spectacular performance groups from around the world to perform in Taipei and to use theatre to engage in a dialogue with audiences while energizing the city's creative spirit with a charming grace.
This year, the 18th annual Taipei Arts Festival will revolve around the curatorial concept of "Art Can Change Lives". The diverse nature and power of the performing arts will be exhibited by artists from France, Germany, New Zealand, England, Italy, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, who will perform 11 programs comprising music, theatre, dance, cirque nouveau and the performing arts while exploring politics, history, ethnicity, and gender. The festival’s commitment to the spirit of diversity in the arts is reflected in the high school students and members of the indigenous Hakka peoples who will be performing for the first time on the Festival's stages this year. In addition to the aforementioned programs, there will be a screening of the experimental theatre documentary Hamlet, as well as a number of related workshops and lectures.
Taipei Arts Festival creative director Keng Yi-Wei states: "We hope attending performing arts groups can use this platform to further their own development. This year The Party Theatre Group's collaboration in France would be a good example. Their European tour will be an opportunity to gain recognition within Europe and for their work to be noticed by curators and agents, which will in turn open up potential for future invitations and collaborations. In a similar vein, the Taipei Arts Festival has been inviting foreign circus groups to Taiwan for years, slowly building up local appreciation for the form. Consequently, this year we have invited the Taiwanese circus FOCA to collaborate with director Baboo with hopes of fostering the creation of a new Taiwanese hybrid form Cirque Nouveau."
Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs commissioner Hsieh Pei-Ni states: "The Taipei Arts Festival has slowly built up its status over the past 18 years. This includes the cultivation of performing arts culture appreciation. With the soon-to-be-completed Taipei Performing Arts Center, the festival will finally have what could be considered a dedicatee venue of its own. We look forward to a future where it is possible to work directly with foreign performance groups, not limited by background or age range, to co-produce a program."
The 2016 Taipei Arts Festival is hosted by the Taipei City Government and organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Taipei Culture Foundation. Taking place over the course of 6 weeks between September 9th and October 16th, the festival's performances will rotate through a variety of venues including Zhongshan Hall, The Metropolitan Hall, the Wellspring Theatre, and Da-an Forest Park. For more information please look up on the website: www.taipeifestival.org