Puppet Beings Theater (偶偶偶劇團) made its U.S. debut with "The Paper Play (紙要和你在一起)" at the International Puppet Fringe Festival NYC on Aug. 9 as well as an additional performance at Flushing Town Hall on Aug. 13, captivating audiences with their fun and lively performances.
Ahead of their visit to the city, the troupe was featured in the arts section of The New York Times on Aug. 8, mentioning that their performance "The Paper Play" is "a more joyful exploration of paper’s possibilities." The news article also said "Consisting of two parts — one a gentle fable and the other a celebration of its medium's transformative powers — this American premiere exemplifies the Puppet Fringe's less spooky side.”
With "The Paper Play" selected as the opening show of the festival, Puppet Beings Theater's founder Sun Chen-chieh (孫成傑) expressed his excitement, saying that it is positive news for the troupe if they are able to bring attention to Taiwanese performances through such cultural exchange opportunities and letting the world see Taiwan.
A total of theater companies from 15 countries were invited to perform more than 50 shows at the festival this year. This also allowed the members of Puppet Beings Theater to interact and exchange ideas with other performers from all over the world.
For the first time, the Puppet Beings Theater held a workshop in English at the Flushing Town Hall. Guided by the troupe members, visitors were able to make their own animal puppets with cardboard and paper materials, delighting people of all ages with the fun activity.
Puppet Beings Theater was founded in Taiwan in 2000 by Cheng-Chieh Sun, a seasoned puppet performing artist dedicated to introducing, developing, and producing modern puppet shows. The company produces elaborate puppet shows of the highest quality and has performed at various international festivals, including Edinburgh Festival Fringe for three consecutive years.