Words by Artistic Director- 2024 Fall for Great Souls

 

Break on Through to the Other Side

 

Why would a sheep aspire to become human?

American rock band The Doors' 1967 hit song 'Break on Through (To the Other Side)' and the band's name itself resonate deeply with the theme found in English writer Aldous Huxley's work, The Doors of Perception. Drawing from his own experiences with hallucinogenic substances, Huxley advocates for awakening, for breaking free from the constraints and limitations imposed by traditional moral standards, laws, and even our own fears, urging us to venture to the "other side" and discover what lies beyond.

In FC Bergman's The Sheep Song, there is a sheep that yearns to become human. This sheep subverts the image of purity, innocence, and fragility typically associated with the flock. It refuses to become the perfect sacrificial offering of religion, and no longer needs the shepherd's rod for guidance or the staff for discipline. Leaving behind the flock and the pasture, it puts on clothes, stands on its two hind legs, and steps into the cruel and real "other side" of humanity.

In GuoGuang Opera Company's Three People, Two Lamps, set in the harem of the Tang Dynasty, a handmaiden finds herself hopelessly in love with the emperor, a passion that drives her to the lonely despair of throwing herself into a well. Yet, there exists another handmaiden with a bold vision, holding onto a sliver of hope. As she stitches battle robes for the soldiers at the front, she secretly slips a letter into the fabric, sending her emotions across to the "other side." Driven by the courage of her affection, there is also the noblewoman in Franz Lehár's operetta Das Land des Lächelns, who travels a great distance to the "other side"; for the prince she adores, believing that true love can overcome all obstacles and break through the rigid conventions hidden behind smiles.

Set during the reign of King Henry IV, Verdi's opera Falstaff tells the tale of the corpulent knight, Sir John Falstaff, who seeks to conquer the hearts of two noblewomen simultaneously by writing them love letters. His brazenness leads to repeated humiliations: he is shoved into a laundry basket and dumped into the Thames, and later, he is tormented by townsfolk disguised as spirits in the forest. Ultimately, Falstaff finds himself tearfully apologizing to all, having brought disgrace upon his knightly honor. It is only then that he realizes, "everything in the world is a jest."

But standing on the "other side" isn't always a comfortable place to be! In Schaubühne Berlin's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play An Enemy of the People, when the entire town eagerly anticipates the economic benefits from developing a thermal bath, a whistleblower doctor discovers that the bath water has been contaminated by factory pollution and poses a grave health risk. He dutifully submits his report to the authorities, only to be met with an overwhelming wave of hostility. Forsaken by all, he becomes the enemy of the people.

The theater is a sealed box, where certain perceptions need to be shielded from reality to manifest. In M.O.V.E. Theatre's The Moment by Daniel WANG, three women are trapped in a room, sparking unfamiliar conversations that unexpectedly lead to mutual understanding and unravel the mysteries of their lives. The Belgian company Peeping Tom's Triptych: The Missing Door, The Lost Room, and The Hidden Floor creates three inescapable cabin rooms. Through distorted bodily movements, they depict the primal fears of the mind. With no safety ropes and no escape doors, the audience is forced to glimpse into a world brimming with the darkness of human nature.

Ming Hwa Yuan Arts & Cultural Group is venturing beyond traditional Taiwanese opera! Adapting HUNG Hsing-fu's short story Final Bow, they present a modern play that takes the audience through the highs and lows of Taiwanese opera, both onstage and off, depicting the decline from its heyday in the 1960s and 70s to its itinerant days. Tang Mei Yun Taiwanese Opera Company's Tavern by the Lethe: A Lost Actress, transitions from television back to the stage, breaking new ground by combining Taiwanese opera with musical theater. This sitcom tells the story of the Meng Po's Tavern by the Lethe, weaving together song, dance, and humor.

Every year, the "Fall for Great Souls" series at the NTT pays tribute to masters and classics. Masters continuously surpass themselves, and classics must withstand the test of time. Spanish flamenco superstar Israel Galván takes on the work of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, blending the originally ballet-composed music with his revolutionary flamenco dance. He reshapes flamenco steps with explosive, exquisite, and rapid movements. Founded in 1949, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (BRSO), though relatively young in music history, has risen to the ranks of the world's top symphony orchestras under the leadership of several 20th-century maestro conductors. This time, under the baton of their principal conductor Sir Simon Rattle, they will join forces with the Korean "poet at the piano"; Seong-Jin Cho for an "All Brahms" night.

Push open the theater doors and embark on an exploratory journey to the "other side!"

 

—Joyce Chiou, General and Artistic Director