After the introduction and explanation by the President Zhao-Hu Chen of the GuoGuang Opera Company, we not only know about the process and the efforts of the establishment of the Company, but also understand the pursuing of innovation for the Chinese opera of the Company in the past couple years.The company has launched plenty new editing Chinese operas good in both reputation and ticket boxes, and touring them to perform everywhere, gradually brought Chinese opera toward modern and localized direction without losing traditional opera flavor.

【The Establishment of GuoGuang Opera Company】

In early years, there were plenty soldiers coming to Taiwan along with military loved to watch Chinese opera, plus there were plenty actors/actresses of Chinese opera along the military coming to Taiwan.In order to arrange the development of these people, and for comfort and entertainment for military performance, national force had established various Chinese opera companies in various military types.In 1950, there was Da Peng Opera Company; in 1954, Hai Guang; and in 1958, Lu-Guang; and in 1961, Ming Tuo.However, along the change of time, Chinese opera gradually lose its flame, and the performances of three military groups decreased.Therefore, on July 1st, 1995, the three military opera companies had dismissed.A group of elite originally belonged to Da Peng, Hai Guang, and Lu-Guang integrated all the Chinese opera talents to organize to GuoGuang Opera Company, uplifting the mission of prolonging the traditional opera and promoting art education.On March 6th, 2008, the Company registered and belonged to the Preparatory Office of National Taiwan traditional Art General Office of the Council for Cultural Affairs, Republic of China.

【Cultivating 15 Years Creating New Ara】

Ever since the Company established, GuoGuang has tried to blend modern trends into graceful tradition, and to flexibly use the theater concept.Besides regular performances of classic operas, it constantly tries to combine the social context, conceiving new operas with humanistic flavor from literature, history, and folklore.For example, the trilogy of Taiwan--“Ma-Zu,” “Zheng Cheng-Gong and Taiwan,” and “Liao Tian-Ding”—was absorbed new materials and rewritten from the Taiwanese folklore literature. In addition, in order to cultivate new audience for Chinese opera, the Company consecutively launched plenty famed newly adapted good operas, such as “General’s Times” (which received TV gold medal award in 2000), “Altair α Lyrae Sirius,” “An Educated Letterman on Earth—Death God Dream” (which received TV gold medal award in 2002 and the top 10 performance programs of the first year Taishin Art Award ), “Xi-Feng Wang—Disordered in the Ning’s Palace” (which received the top 9 performance programs of the second year Taishin Art Award), the first Taiwan-made Kun Chu drama “Shan-Bo Liang and Ing-Tai Zhu,” “Three Persons and Two Lamps,” (which received the special award of the critics committee of the fourth-year Taishin Art Award and the TV gold medal award in 2006), “Golden Lock,” “Xue-Ian Hu” and the old opera with new adoption “Ui Iang Tian” and so on.All of them were with good ticket boxes, received positive reputation.

In 2007, the Company collaborated with the NSO to adopt new opera ”Sunlight After Snowfall,” and another new opera in 2008 “The First Family on Earth.”And both the “Golden Lock” and “Dialogue in front of the Tomb” received the top 10 performance programs of the fifth- year Taishin Art Award.In 2009, the Company collaborated with National Music and Drama House for “Orlando,” directed by the international theater master Robert Wilson that blended body language of the oriental Chinese opera and creativity of western theater to create a highly discussed performance.

【Walking into Community Soaring up to International】

Besides constantly developed topics for operas, the Company even progressively expanded the performance field to holistically promote traditional opera to every corner geographically.From urban to rural, indoors to outdoors, people everywhere may appreciate traditional operas.In order to achieve the development goal of “art reaches the community” at the same time, the Company especially opens the“GuoGuang Opera Theater” in every afternoon of each weekend with different operas to provide choices to the public for their leisure activities. This activates the local art atmosphere to the location of the Company, and promotes traditional operas as well.In terms of promoting art education, the Company works hard to let people share with different age, area, and educational background with activities such as public performance, campus touring performance, community touring performance, the GuoGuang Opera Theater, and opera workshop, demonstration and lecture and so on.

As to the international opera interaction, the Company has a constant program. It has been invited many times to perform in Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Czech, Brazil, HK, and Singapore, and so on, and received warm and good reputations overseas.In order to strengthen the Chinese opera interaction across the Straight, except to cooperate with the Mainland China Mei Lan-Fang Opera Company and the China Opera House, also have competition performance with the famous actors/actresses of the Tian Jin Opera House and Beijing Opera House and so on.Various cooperation models broke through the single performance way of the past in Mainland China opera companies that led the interaction of Chinese opera across the Straight into substantial level.

【Inherited Innovation Sustainable Operation】

With firm eye sight, President Chen told us that GuoGunag has been working hard to the sustainable operation of the traditional operas, upholding the artistic quality, constantly bringing newness, and expecting the traditional opera to shine once more, and to remake our own gold name brand, together to plan for the future of traditional opera.The aim of the Company is at ”Protection of tradition, Encouraging the innovation, Expanding the appreciate level of the audience, Facilitating cultural interaction, and at the same time cultivating art education, and Stimulating students’ unlimited imagination”The Company has been working hard for the sustainable operation, insisted the performance quality to acquire the applauses of the audience.

Reference: interview with President Mr. Zhao-Hu Chen of the Guoguang Opera Company
Source of the photos: provided and authorized Guoguang Opera Company

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