Based on the work of the same title written by Japanese novelist, Osaragi Jiro, Kurama Tengu is about a group of revolutionary heroes fighting against the military government, and assisted by a legendary figure who calls himself Kurama Tengu. They have won landslide victories in many battles. However, daunting enemy pressure starts to form cracks inside the revolutionary organization. In the face of the last battle that dooms to destroy them all, what will become of these fearless fighters?

Directed by LIU Chien-guo, who is known for her ingenious fusion of traditional opera and modern theater, this breathtaking epic is presented through “oo-phiat-a”, a traditional Taiwanese opera style and performed by an all-star cast.

Playwright & Director / LIU Chien-guo

LIU Chien-guo is a theater playwright and director whose works include stage plays, musicals, Taiwanese operas, Peking operas, Yu operas, and TV dramas and large-scale events and ceremonies. In 2016, she was chosen as the person of the year of Performing Arts Review magazine for her “versatility in script writing and directing, showing ingenuity in giving stories unexpected turns while bringing a sense of modern reality into traditional opera works.”

Lead / LIU Chien-hua

LIU Chien-hua is the lead sheng (male role) actor in the Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company and the lead actor for ChiChiao Musical Theatre. Having a passion for traditional opera since childhood, she founded a Bangzi opera club at high school. In 2001, she joined YANG Li-hua Opera Company and became YANG’s disciple. In 2005, she entered the Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company and her outstanding performances led to popular roles in A Red Plum Tree, At Aranya Temple, TurandotI, etc.

Lead / LEE Pei-ying

LEE is currently a sheng actor in Formosa-Zephyr Opera Troupe and she has dedicated to the study and performance of Taiwanese opera since she was in university with a focus on sheng roles. Her leading roles include Kingdom and the Beauty, Metamorphosis, Yang Ba-Lang Visiting His Mother, The Venetian Twins, The Supreme Sacrifice of Chow Ren, My Wife is a Snake with Formosa-Zephyr Opera Troupe; Kurama Tengu, Oh My Buddha! Oh My God with Chichiao Musical Theater.  

Lead / WEI Yi-cheng 

WEI Yi-cheng is a talented actor / director active in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. He received a grant from Asian Cultural Council for a 6-month cultural exchange program in New York in 2012 and was invited by Directors Guild of Japan to Osaka to give a talk. The number of the works he performed, written and directed exceeds 100 and can be seen in various theater companies like Performance Workshop, Edward Lam Dance Theatre, Tainaner Ensemble, Greenray Theatre Company, etc.   

ChiChiao Musical Theatre

The ChiChiao Musical Theatre was founded in Southern Taiwan in 2004. Since 2014, the troupe has won awards and grants for its distinctiveness conferred by the Ministry of Culture, and now it is listed among the “Taiwan Top Troupes” by the National Culture and Arts Foundation. The main creative mother-daughter team of the troupe comprises WANG Hai-ling, a national treasure and the Diva of Taiwan Bangzi Opera, and her two daughters, LIU Chien-hua (a sheng actor of the Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company, nicknamed “Chi”) and LIU Chien-guo (playwright, director, and the present director of the troupe, nicknamed “Chiao”).

Artistic Director / WANG Hai-ling

Artistic Advisor / LIN Ho-yi, HSU Ya-hsiang, HSIEH Hsiao-mei

Playwright & Director / LIU Chien-kuo

Music Design /HO Yu-kuan, LI Chang-lei

Henan Opera Vocal Arrangement / WANG Hai-ling

Choreography / PENG Hsiao-yin

Marital Arts choreography / PENG Wei-chua

Costume Design / LI Yu-shen

Hair and Makeup Design / HSIEH Meng-chian

Stage Design / HUANG Yu-han

Lighting Design / DENG Jhen-wei

Multimedia Design / CHEN Yan-ren

Performers / LIU Chien-hua, LI Pei-ying, WEI Yi-cheng, SUN Shih-wen, LI Yu-chen, TUNG Chier-yu

Commissioned by National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)