The Cultural Affairs Department of the New Taipei City Government and the Quanta Arts Foundation jointly organized the “2016 Chinese Original Musical Festival” for the first time, planning an exciting musical performance and competition with the theme of “Everyday We Sing”. A total of ten performances in three musicals and outdoor singing activities were held successively in the New Taipei City Arts Centre Performing Arts Hall, Mega City Outdoor Plaza from November 5th to 27th.
There are no restrictions on the subject matter of the musical works, including soul, love, mythology, and BL. Musical works and creative talents from Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Mainland were invited to participate in the grand event. “A Bright Dark Night” produced by Pop Theatre took the lead in the opening performance on November 5th and 6th, in the performance hall of the New Taipei City Arts Centre.
This work was nominated for the “Best Original Song” and “Best Actress” in the 24th Hong Kong Drama Awards in 2014. Director Chan Wing Chuen once awarded with the “Best Actor” and “Best Supporting Actor” at the Hong Kong Drama Awards. He is also an outstanding director and a designated partner of artist Andy Lau for musical productions; the other two music creators Chung Chi Wing and Edgar Hung also play an important role in the field of Hong Kong musicals.
2016 Chinese Original Musical Festival “A Bright Dark Night” Group photo of Pop Theatre and Weng Yuqin, the secretary of the Cultural Affairs Department of the New Taipei City Government. (Provided by Quanta Arts Foundation)
In addition to inheriting the tradition of using songs to tell stories, the opening performance also used sage to create a rare fragrance design. With its purifying and soothing fragrance combined with the plot, it penetrates the audience’s spiritual space. They can experience the tranquillity of travelling in Tibet in the theatre.
2016 Chinese Original Musical Festival “A Bright Dark Night” (Provided by Quanta Arts Foundation)
Apart from “A Bright Dark Night”, there will also be “Queen of Coquetry” at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre on November 11-12; mythical musical “Isle of Dreams” by La Cie MaxMind from Taiwan on November 18-20; and the martial arts musical “Leviathan 2.0” by The Ex-rebel Lads on the background of Internet culture on November 12-27.
The related activities will be held at Mega City Outdoor Plaza at 3 pm on November 5th, 6th, and 13th. There will also be a free “Musical Outdoor Singing-Plaza Carnival”.
Moreover, the “Everyday We Sing – Performance Workshop” provided 12 professional training courses, which allowed participants to thoroughly experience the wave of musicals. The “Project Runway Musical Drama Creation Competition Reality Show” offered a prize of $100,000 to invite Taiwanese musical masters compete on stage to stimulate the positive energy of musical creation. The “2016 Chinese Original Musical Festival” has created a grand event for musical joint performances exclusively in the Chinese region.
(The above is a translated version, original text is only available in Chinese.)
http://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20161105001145-260405
China Times, 5/11/2016