“The most popular type of puppetry in Taiwan is budaixi (布袋戲, also sometimes written as potehi or poteshi), in which puppets are worn like a glove and manipulated by hand. Scholars believe it originated in the coastal regions of China sometime in the 18th century before spreading to Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia along with migrants from the China mainland. Though found elsewhere, budaixi experienced its greatest development in Taiwan and has become something of a national art form.
Budaixi literally means “cloth sack theater.” In the early days, the glove puppet bodies were created from square, sack-shaped pieces of cloth, while the head, hands, and feet were carved from wood or molded from clay. The art form was also known as “small-basket theater” after the way in which the puppets were carried between villages and towns by the performers. The baskets were kept backstage and puppets would be tossed into them during the performance to facilitate quick character changes.” more here
I Wan Jan Troupe 亦宛然掌中劇團／李天祿布袋戲
“I Wan Jan” was established in 1931. The founder, Li Tien-lu used the name “I Wan Jan, because he wanted the public know that the hand puppet was as vivid as real man. Li Tien-lu’s performance blended in rich Beijing Opera elements.
In 1953, Li Tien-lu led “I Wan Jan” to participate in national hand puppet show contest; they have won championship of the northern area for more than twenty consecutive years. At the end of 1971, “I Wan Jan” began to perform around the world on invitation; their tracks extended all over Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. They successively propagated Taiwan’s traditional hand puppet art and became an internationally noted troupe. At the same time, Li Tien-lu led all masters before and behind the curtain to invest in the hand puppet show inheritance works in Jeu-Guang Elementary School in Banciao, creating a new trend of learning hand puppet show artistry in campus and continuously rooting the art of traditional hand puppet.
Li Tien-lu died in 1998. His second son, Li Chuang-tsain succeeded to be the curator. Besides continuing his father’s unfinished inheritance works, he never neglected any kinds of preserving, rooting, and innovating works. Li Chuang-tsain died in 2009; his wife, Li-Tsai Su-Chen, succeeds to be the curator and leads the fourth generation young students to continuously make progress in passing on hand puppet art.
Hsiao Hsi Yuan Puppet Theater 小西園掌中戲團
Hsiao Hsi Yuan, a traditional puppet theater, is one of Taiwan’s most highly regarded hand puppet troupes. It has continuously refined the traditional art form to meet new audience demands for well over a century.
Founded in 1913 by the late Hsu Tian-fu (許天扶), Hsiao Hsi Yuan’s classic and graceful dialogues and unique performances – which include the use of props such as fire torches – have helped preserve the otherwise dwindling art of hand-puppet theater in Taiwan.
The troupe also insists on being accompanied by a live band. Apart from utilizing lively and animated Beiguan music made with string and woodwind instruments, the performances also include innovative use of gongs and drums more commonly associated with Peking opera.
Under the leadership of Hsu Wang (許王), the founder’s second son, the group has performed over the years in Australia, South Africa, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Canada, United States, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. >>> source
The founder’s grandson, Hsu Kuo-liang (許國良), is also well-known in the sphere of Taiwanese traditional performance arts. He has invested over 75 years in hand-puppet theater, and established the “Hsiao Hsi Yuan Wooden Puppet Art Workshop” in 1991 in hopes of passing on puppet design and craftsmanship to the next generation.
Video Excerpt: The Romance of Suei and Tang: Nan Yang Pass
Video Excerpt: The Romance of the three Kingdoms
Video Excerpt: Retrieve the territory of Ch’u
Unique Puppet Theater > 不貳偶劇
The Unique Puppet Theater performs internationally, and has staged performances in Japan, the US, Singapore, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Turkey, Malaysia and France in the past three years, Kuo said, describing the tours as “an unfortunate necessity caused by the shrinking market for classical puppetry.” > article about troupe master Kuo Chien-Fu in Taipei Times . Some video clips from performances can be seen here.
Taipei Puppet Theater 臺北木偶劇團
Taipei Puppet Theater was founded in 2010.The theater performers are mainly middle-aged and with average apprenticeship over 15years. They make their career purpose to continuate the life of traditional puppet shows, they are the vibrant new generation of puppet theater in Taiwan.
Taipei Puppet theater inherits the traditional art, innovates the delicate performance way with every efforts for the multiplicity in Taiwanese puppet show, which has successfully attracted more audience to come into the theater and enjoy the show.
Shan Wan Ran Puppet troupe 山宛然
When the traditional puppet show meets the Hakka culture, what sparks will it encounter? Huang Wushan, the director of the Shan Wanran troupe, combined the Minnan and Hakka culture with creativity to create a more diverse expression style of puppet show.
Huang Wushan, the two sons of Mr. Li Tianlu, a national treasure-level puppet master, learned the traditional puppet skills with Mr. Li Chuancan, and became the first generation of puppet master Li Tianlu in the fourth grade of elementary school. Teacher Li Tianlu’s words: “Since you are a Hakka, you should speak in your own language.” This inspired Huang Wushan’s dream of a Hakka puppet show. In the source system of puppet theater, it has always belonged to the Hokkien family of southern Fujian. “Shan Wanran” can be said to be one of the few puppet theater troupes in China that can perform a full-scale Hakka drama. In 2001, Huang Wushan added the Hakka writer Li Qiao’s “Cold Night Trilogy” to Hakka music and performed a Hakka puppet show. This premiere also made Huang Wushan decide to devote himself to the creation of Hakka puppet show. The following year, Huang Wushan established the Shan Wanran Opera Troupe. When he graduated from the National Taipei University of the Arts Theatre Arts Institute in 2003, he experienced the painstaking effort of his teacher’s salary, learned Hakka folk songs from the queen of Hakka folk songs, Lai Bixia, and injected Hakka culture into traditional puppet theater.
Every year, Shan Wanran Theatre Company creates refreshing Hakka puppet shows. In addition to integrating Hakka language into the puppet show, Huang Wushan also tries to combine Western art with Eastern puppet show, choosing to do it with Shakespeare’s famous play “Henry IV”. Try to create the possibility of “modernization” of traditional palm-in-the-hand dramas! Huang Wushan said: “Cultures in different fields can stimulate different horizons and creative sparks.” This subverts the impression of traditional puppet theater. With a passion and drive, Huang Wushan creates Hakka with richer and diversified drama connotations. New hope for puppet show.
“Mountain Wanran” starts from the traditional Hakka triangle tea picking drama, and the way of performance is also going to small villages and towns all over Taiwan, going deep into the lives of the villagers, getting close to the grassroots people, and realizing the possibility of “everywhere theater.” Upholding the enthusiasm and belief in inheriting Hakka culture, “Shan Wanran” currently focuses on production and performance, actively participates in various art festivals, and has begun to plan a combination of Hakka drama, Hakka puppet theater and Hakka music. By making use of the lively performance of puppets, attract the younger generation of Hakkas to attach importance to Hakka culture and art, regain the Hakka spirit, and even let non-Hakkas understand the diversity and inclusiveness of Hakka culture, and strive to develop Possibility of traditional puppet theater performances, and will promote the art of Hakka music and hand puppet theater into schools and communities, breaking the limitations of the concept of “theatre”.
Shan Wanran has become one of the few young generations in China. It has the professional ability to perform traditional puppet shows and the foundation of the academic theory of drama, which has left the fire for traditional puppet shows. >>> videoclips
Founded in 2005, Good Theatre Company initially demonstrated innovative puppet forms with works “You Are My Mother” and “Two Times”, and was invited to perform at the Macau and Singapore Arts Festivals. The latter was even shortlisted for the 3rd Taixin Art Awards. With “good play, good perspective, and good world” as the development vision, we will work towards cross-field cooperation, experimental works, human reflection and social feedback. In 2018, the newly produced “Happy Holidays” was invited to participate in the Macau City Fringe Festival because of its forward-looking nature. In the future, the good theater company will also strive to become a platform for drama creation, inviting artists from all fields to create good works that are implemented in life and developed in art.