Taiwan’s Shinehouse Theatre is set to make its U.S. debut at the SoHo Playhouse in New York City with performances of “The Whisper of the Waves” from Jan. 24 through Feb. 2.
With support from the Ministry of Culture’s Taipei Cultural Center in New York, the Taipei City-based theatrical group’s appearance is part of the playhouse’s International Fringe Encore Series, which provides an extended off-Broadway run to emerging artists who show exceptional talent at international festivals, the MOC said. The troupe caught talent scouts’ eye at the 2024 Prague Fringe in the Czech Republic, standing out among a dozen works from India, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S., the ministry added.
According to the MOC, “The Whisper of the Waves” is directed by Chung Po-yuan, with choreography by Japanese dancer Emiko Agatsuma. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, it incorporates Taiwan’s unique culture of jitong, a type of folk religion practitioner, into the story while exploring human propensity for love, loneliness and existential contemplation, the ministry said.
The theater added that the work also discusses issues such as same-sex marriage and surrogacy, noting that it demonstrates the cultural breadth and depth of democratic Taiwan’s artistic landscape.
The TCC in New York further expressed the hope that the performance will spotlight Taiwan’s performing arts groups and raise the country’s artistic profile on the global stage.
First performed in Taiwan in 2020, “The Whisper of the Waves” has been staged in eight countries, including Czechia, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. (YCH-E)
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