Words by Artistic Director- 2026 NTT Fall for Great Souls
NTT Fall for Great Souls at 10: Three Acts of Reconstruction—From Text to Sensory Experience
"Ten years of accumulation, a deconstruction and reconstruction of theater."
The National Taichung Theater marks its tenth anniversary this year. Over the past decade, it has charted a path from understanding the classics to boldly reimagining them, and from deep local roots to dialogues that reach across disciplines and cultures. At this significant milestone, we take "Deconstruction and Reconstruction" as the theme of this year's series, presenting eleven extraordinary productions that embody the artistic vision, growth, and momentum cultivated over the past decade.
One thread running through this year's series is the contemporary reimagining of the classics. After a decade of engaging deeply with both Western and traditional repertoires, NTT has gained the confidence to revisit canonical works from fresh perspectives. Mozart's Così fan tutte and Shakespeare-inspired Lost Lear relocate familiar narratives to settings as unexpected as a contemporary recording studio and a nursing home, while Kingdom of Desire and Antigone draw on the expressive languages of Peking Opera and contemporary dance to confront the enduring struggles of the human condition.
Another thread lies in the time-space collage of local history. Over the past decade, NTT and many of Taiwan's leading performing arts companies have evolved together. Today, traditional opera forms are finding renewed resonance and vitality in contemporary performance. The Oolong Tycoon and Phantoms of the Timeworn Mansion break free from linear time, weaving together late Qing-era commercial rivalries, the intellectual currents associated with the Taiwanese Cultural Association, and surreal spectral presences into a reflection on the collective identity of this land.
A final thread looks toward the future of the senses and the body. A decade of exploring the boundaries of theater finds its most striking expression in this year's series. Whether through Robert Lepage's five-hour epic Faith, Money, War and Love, which showcases the artistry of a true master of theatrical illusion; the reunion of bodies and generations in HORSE's twentieth-anniversary production Big Dance; the fragmentation and reassembly of dance and drama in The Great He-Goat; the sonic experiments of NTT Artist-in-Residence Lai Chi-hsia's Reverberation: In Tune; or the enduring resonance of the Austro-German classical tradition through Sir Simon Rattle and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, each work invites audiences to reconsider how theater is experienced through the senses and the body.
Every act of deconstruction begins with understanding; every act of reconstruction speaks to the present. This series is not only a reflection of what NTT has achieved over the past decade, but also a note to the future—a reminder of what theater can continue to become.
LEE Huey-mei, General and Artistic Director