A modern retake of Boccaccio's Decameron, The Prawning Decameron is set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic under which no country is spared in the disaster. Under the threat of the pandemic, a group of people spend ten days in a prawning restaurant complex in the suburbs of Chiayi, exchanging tales of truth and lie. The production is the first collaboration between Our Theatre and puppetry master YEUNG Fai and also features a star cast of Taiwanese glove puppetry to jointly explore the changes brought forth by the pandemic of the century to the world. The story reflects the absurdity of humanity in the pandemic when the isolation lifts all social constraints.

Producer & Director / WANG Jhao-cian

WANG graduated from Taipei National University of Arts with an MFA in theatre directing. He is the Artistic Director and the Executive Director of Our Theatre. Wang has been promoting theater making and education in Chiayi, his hometown. His recent works focus on folk culture and the possibilities of connection between folk culture and modern theatre. His theater works include: Palaces: Outside In and Inside Out, This is too much!! (Your Theatre), Shine on the Infinity at the 2021 Creative Expo Taiwan, The State & Denki, The Road: Seven Days, and An Oxcart for Dowry.

Director & Leading Performer / YEUNG Fai

YEUNG Fai was born in Zhangzhou, Fujian, China in 1964 into a family of famous glove puppeteers. Since the late 1980s, he started his career of performing and traveling with puppets around the world. He has moved to France since 2001. Besides performance, YEUNG also teaches traditional puppetry. He is the instructor of puppetry at l'École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette in Charleville-Mézières, France. He has been invited to give master classes in Germany, Spain, Russia, Italy, Poland, Brazil, Israel, and Australia.

Our Theatre

Our Theatre was founded in Chiayi, a city in Southern Taiwan. Its mission is to develop an artistic vision distinct from urban perspectives by incorporating local cultures into modern theater. It is committed to bring performing arts to the masses, and seek opportunities for contemporary "folk theater." Over the course of 17 years, it has staged more than 700 performances and received several nominations for the Taishin Arts Award. It also had the honor to represent Taiwan in several international festivals including Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the U.K., and Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania.

Inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron

Dramaturg / HO I-fan

Producer & Director / WANG Jhao-cian

Director & Leading Performer / YEUNG Fai

Script / Collective Creation

Script Integration / WU Ming-lun

Taiwanese Adviser / MC JJ

Audio Description / WANG Lan-cing

Assistant Director / ZHU Fang-yi, WU Ying-hsuan

Stage Manager / CHUNG Pin-chiao

Set Design / LI Po-lin

Lighting Design / CHUANG Chih-heng

Costume Design / LIN Yu-yuan

Video Design / WANG Cheng-yuan

Music Design / KO Chun-yuan

Props Master / TSENG Wen-chi

Key Visual Design / Godkidlla

DJ / Daiken LEE

Performer / WANG Kai-sheng, YU Pen-chieh, LI Ching-yen, WU Ying-hsuan, LIN Hsiao-han, CHUANG Ting-yu, CHEN Chia-hao, HUANG Chiao-wei, SU Chun-ying

Commissioned by National Performing Arts Center - National Taichung Theater, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), National Theater & Concert Hall