經過幾個月COVID-19疫情的陰霾，喜愛群聚的人們被繭居束縛，難得自在的動物們大膽上街，自然界一一「反撲」：水清、雲開、山朗！LIVE表演藝術的競爭者──「線上觀演」竟成了疫情期間唯一能與藝文愛好者「保持關係」的管道，卻更令大家想念起「共享當下的集體經驗」。這日常生活歷經減法後的靜謐，使人不自覺懷念層層交疊的喧囂；感受過「遠距」，才能想念親密互動的珍貴，2020全新夏日系列「夏日放／FUN時光」（Summer Fun Time）誕生在曙光嶄露之時！我們希望伴隨著季節暖意，以藝術釋放積蓄的創意玩心，讓我們走出家門，重拾生活中的動能。

「夏日放／FUN時光」以三大主題策展：已成為歌劇院夏天品牌盛事的「音樂劇在臺中」、全新策劃的劇場轉生術之最「偶戲、物件劇場」，以及凝聚笑容與在地情誼的「夏日特選」；透過9檔展演滾動夏日能量。

自2017年，「音樂劇在臺中」開啟了全臺觀眾來臺中追劇的夏日情結，2020（愛你愛你），音樂劇當然以「築愛追夢」為主軸，遺憾無法來臺的韓國原創音樂劇《狂愛詩人─韓波》以實況錄影與大家共享追夢逐愛，去年底在台北首演的瘋戲樂工作室製作《台灣有個好萊塢》，再現60年代台語電影的黃金時代，透過當年的拚勁，替今日的我們找回追夢的衝勁，感動於臺灣真摯的在地記憶。

物件因劇場展現生命，劇場因物件而豐富敘事的創意，今年「新藝計畫」以「偶戲、物件劇場」為主題，遴選出羅翡翠與頑劇場的《親愛的戴斯》及吳峽寧與僻室的展覽／演出《包在我身上》，轉換我們看待生命及日常的視角，以跨感官的偶戲、物件演繹記憶的沉澱與領悟；擅長以紙偶扮戲的偶偶偶劇團《紙要和你在一起》，以各種紙材施展創意的巧思。今夏來「物件一夏」吧！

夏天一定要大手牽小手共遊！「夏日特選」正是為此目的而企畫。除了各種自由進出的戶外展演，劇場內也有大小孩共享的：風神寶寶兒童劇團《風神寶寶與悟空叔叔的地府歷險記》，借《西遊記》折子讓孩子認識生命的價值與道別的含意；歌劇院駐館藝術家包大山首度跨界劇場，藉半自傳體創作《RUN》與導演洪健藏，以手繪與劇場元素尋找成長軌跡；舞鈴劇場《VALO首部曲-阿米巴》及達康.come《三口組》，將用歡笑填滿9-99歲的夏日時光；故事工廠《再見歌廳秀》以臺灣人的韌性和創造力面對大環境的變遷，儘管生活中各種艱難徬徨，但日子總要過下去，還要過得精彩。

蟬鳴鳥叫，久違了的陽光、清朗的夜空，孩子們的嬉鬧、大人們的歡笑，我們敞開雙臂迎接走進歌劇院各樓層角落的每一位朋友！

Under the dark clouds of COVID-19, formerly sociable people have been cocooned at home, while animals enjoy their freedom as they roam freely on the streets, and nature rebounds during this respite: waters have now cleared, skies are once again blue, and mountains have regained their lushness. Once regarded as a challenge and threat to live performing arts, online streaming of performances now has become the only means for art lovers to connect with one another during the pandemic while bringing fond recollections of our collective experiences in the here-and-now. In this tranquil status quo, we inevitably miss the times when commotion was the norm, and only when we’ve had firsthand experience of long-distance relationships do we learn to treasure the intimacy of a shared presence. As a new dawn finally approaches on the horizon, it ushers in our new summer season, 2020 Summer Fun Time! With the revitalizing warm weather drawing near, we hope to use art to unleash our creative and fun-loving spirits as we once again head outdoors.

2020 Summer Fun Time features three main themes: Oh! NTT Musicals, now a regular summer fixture at the National Taichung Theater; Puppetry and Object Theater, an all-new category presented in our summer season; and Summer Selections, an energetic themes filled with laughter and friendship. 9 programs are going to bring joys and connections that culminate in this summer.

Since its inception in 2017, Oh! NTT Musicals has become a regular event in the performing arts calendar, with people from all corners of Taiwan coming to Taichung for a close summer encounter with musicals. As the individual numbers in “2020” sound like “love you” in Mandarin, love and dreams naturally feature as the theme for this year’s series. Although current circumstances have unfortunately prevented the Korean musical Rimbaud from its originally scheduled live performance, we are recreating the experience through a screening of the musical. Taiwan Hólíwood, a musical produced by Studio M in Taiwan which saw its premiere in Taipei last year, urges us to fearlessly chase our dreams in its recreation of the golden age of Taiwanese-language cinema in the 1960, a treasured memory in the history of Taiwan.

Objects are brought to life in the theater, and theater is enriched with the usage of objects. The theme of Emerging Artists Project this year is Puppetry and Object Theater, featuring LUO Fei-tsuei and Théâtre des Enfants Terribles One Day with Death, and the exhibition/performance Packing BAGS by WU Hsia-ning and House Peace; through puppetry and objects, these productions suggest new perspectives on everyday life and memory. The Paper Play of Puppet Beings Theatre explores the magic of paper and creates a world of imagination, telling adventurous journeys about friendship, self-confidence, and creative thinking.

Summertime means taking your young ones outdoors, and our Summer Selections series is the perfect pastime. In addition to outdoor performances open to all, we have programs on our indoor stages both you and your children can enjoy. FengShen Baobao and Uncle Wukong's Journey to the Underworld reworks episodes from the classic novel Journey to the West into an illuminating lesson on the value of life and the meaning of departure. In the semi-autobiographical RUN, NTT Artist in Residence Baozi CHEN teams up with director HUNG Chien-tsang in her first work for the theater, using hand-drawn illustrations and theatrical elements to retrace her experiences growing up. Diabolo Dance Theatre’s VALO I - Amoeba and Dacon.come Laugh Live Show’s 3 Mouths will fill the dog days of summer with laughter for ages 9 to 99. Finally, Story Works’s Goodbye to Music Halls attests to the resilience and creativity of the Taiwanese: even as the world drastically changes and challenges abound in life, we nevertheless live to the fullest and make life spectacular.

As cicadas and birds renew their songs, as sunlight again accompanies the sound of children’s laughter, we welcome you to the theater with open arms!