For his meeting with Taiwan Panorama, Golden Bough Theatre’s founder and creative director Wang Rong-yu specially brought along a copy of a handwritten flyer for a performance 22 years ago, just after the troupe was founded.

The simple black-and-white photocopy, barely A4 sized, recalls a very different time for the troupe, which today comprises 14 administrative staff and performers. “Golden Bough was built up by Taiwanese audiences over the years, ticket by ticket,” says Wang. It was the memory of this support that inspired Wang in 2009 to take several of the troupe’s shows on the road, including She is So Lovely... and Midsummer Night’s Dream, giving something back to the audiences that had been so supportive.

Golden Bough’s touring performance project has seen them travel the length and breadth of Taiwan, putting on over 120 performances over five years in locations as diverse­ as Niao­song in Kao­hsiung City, Zhuang­wei in Yi­lan County, and Wu­feng in Hsin­chu County. In addition to entertaining rural audiences, the project also aims to bring some joy to a country that has long been beset with melancholy and anxiety about the future. Even more importantly, though, the “Golden Bough Across Taiwan” project is hoping to sow the seeds of a vibrant art scene in rural Taiwan.

Bringing audiences back to theater

Wang Rong-yu grew up in the theater, his mother a player in a Taiwanese Opera troupe in the Wan­hua–Guting­ area of Tai­pei City, allowing Wang himself to be a witness to the glory days of the form as audiences packed the house. Today, though, Taiwanese Opera’s glory has faded, and audiences are down to “three dogs and a couple of god statues,” sighs Wang.

As a young man, Wang thought of Taiwanese Opera as low class for its use of the Taiwanese language. It was only after nearly three decades of work in the theater, after starting at age 28, that he was able to reflect and finally understand how Taiwanese Opera represents Taiwan’s grassroots. It was that understanding that led to Golden Bough incorporating modern elements into the traditional form of Taiwanese Opera, “koa-á-hì,” to reinvigorate it, creating their own form of “ôo-phiat-á.”

Even many Taiwanese find themselves befuddled by the name ôo-phiat-á, being left with the impression that it’s something a bit hickish and weird-sounding. The term dates back to Japanese rule of Taiwan, when in an effort to “Japanize” the Taiwanese, Taiwanese theater was banned; ôo-phiat-á, derived from the word “opera,” describes the variant form of Taiwanese Opera that developed in response, combining the traditional form with the Japanese language and more modern musical elements.

When Wang founded Golden Bough, he was inspired by the exaggerated nature of ôo-phiat-á, taking it and recombining it with grassroots Taiwanese Opera to create a unique Golden Bough style of ôo-phiat-á. This “grassroots DNA,” which helps the troupe’s performances feel familiar to small towns across Taiwan, “helps us bring audiences back to Taiwanese theater,” says Wang.

Making a moment

Performing outdoors, though, comes with its share of problems. Not only do the troupe have to keep an eye on the weather, they also have to consider the time it takes to set up a stage from scratch, which is at least three times as long as preparing an indoor performance. But the biggest challenge comes from the audience.

Wang describes indoor performance as a “black box” from which nothing escapes—audiences are stuck inside, unable to just get up and leave if they don’t like the show. Outdoor performances have no such restrictions, though, lacking doors, walls, and ushers, so people can come and go as they please. As soon as they’re no longer interested in the show, they can simply leave and look for something else. “Outdoor theater is ruthless,” says Wang. Each performance is a unique experience, and Golden Bough’s tour of Taiwan has been full of unforgettable stories.

Not long ago, Golden Bough traveled to Xin­feng, Heng­shan, and Wu­feng in Hsin­chu County, two of which are traditional Hakka villages and the other home to an Aboriginal majority. At first the troupe were concerned that the large amount of Taiwanese in their shows would be an impediment to these audiences, but as it turned out, “a good show can transcend ethnicity, language, and generation,” says Wang.

In the course of their tour, Golden Bough has encountered plenty of characters. One was a street vendor who decided to travel alongside the troupe, setting up shop wherever they performed; another was an audience member who got so engrossed in the show he couldn’t help but cheer and applaud, forgetting he had a broken arm. Another was a passerby who during one of their shows stopped to see what was going on and was so impressed he immediately grabbed his phone and called up a group of friends to come see.

At every performance, the troupe puts up a donation box, and the support audiences have shown has reaffirmed Wang’s faith in the Taiwanese people. Seeing parents holding their children and dropping in a few dozen dollars, and old ladies fishing NT$100 out of their purses to support the troupe, has left him “utterly moved,” says Wang.

A returning classic

About six months into the touring project, Golden Bough was described by a theater critic as “one of the few troupes in Taiwan that is capable of creating shows for the whole family as well as theater redolent with classical style and rituality.” This October, Golden Bough is preparing to bring one of their classics, Troy, Troy... Taiwan, back to the stage at Cloud Gate’s theater in Tam­sui after a ten-year break.

Wang describes Troy as a show with its finger on the pulse of Taiwanese society. First performed in 1997, with a revival in 2005, the show has always enjoyed close links to Taiwan’s political and economic situation.

Troy began as an attempt to translate the story of the Trojan Horse, but Wang soon realized that the story’s setting of Troy had much in common with Taiwan—both being caught between great powers, and both being rising states thanks to their position as trading hubs, a status making them strategically important to other states. The intent of the final product is to remind us to treasure Taiwan, lest she share the same fate as Troy did nearly three millennia ago.

Troy’s previous two runs were well received by audiences, and the show has become a classic of Taiwanese environmental theater. Wang admits that there is a lot of pressure in bringing it back, not least from the fact that the previous two runs benefited from their locations. Previously, the show was put on in the abandoned winery in Tai­pei’s Hua­shan, Tam­sui’s Hu­wei Fort, and Qi­hou Fort in Kao­hsiung, whereas the upcoming performances will be on an empty expanse of grass, creating a different atmosphere about which Wang has been racking his brain.

While rehearsals are in full swing, Wang has also been planning how to do the show in the round and get the audience involved. “As long as you’ve got performers and an audience, you’ve got enough for a show. The music, stage, and lighting are all bonuses.”

Wang firmly believes in the old maxim that “all the world’s a stage.” As a child he saw performances every­where, from temples to fields, unlike today, when you can really only see shows in specially designated spaces. Seeking to break theater free of this limitation, Golden Bough has made everything from rooftops to abandoned buildings its stages.

Performing outdoors can create unforgettable scenes. Wang recalls one performance at Qihou Fort, where “the performers were on stage with the audience looking on while the moon hung brightly in the heavens. I wouldn’t trade that sight for all the money in the world.”

Growing up around the theater and founding his own troupe made their marks on Wang Rong-yu, helping him build a troupe capable of capturing audiences with a classical art form. Through innumerable performances over nearly three decades, he has been tireless in his pursuit of artistic excellence. Exclaims Wang, “It’s only this year that I’ve gotten to grips with what art actually is!”

Golden Bough’s Happiness Part 3—A Time to Remember.

Wang Rong-yu, the founder of Golden Bough Theatre, grew up around Taiwanese Opera, and today strives to merge grassroots culture with modern theater.

Golden Bough Theatre has broken with convention to perform environmental theater in settings from temple-front plazas to Huwei Fort in Tamsui.

Golden Bough Theatre has broken with convention to perform environmental theater in settings from temple-front plazas to Huwei Fort in Tamsui. The photo shows a scene from She Is so Lovely....

Troy, Troy... Taiwan has had only two runs in nearly 20 years. Wang Rong-yu’s attempt to combine Greek legend with Taiwanese society, Troy uses the past as a metaphor for the present.

Troy, Troy... Taiwan has had only two runs in nearly 20 years. Wang Rong-yu’s attempt to combine Greek legend with Taiwanese society, Troy uses the past as a metaphor for the present. (photos by Chen Shaowei, courtesy of Golden Bough Theatre)

Art isn’t about abstract, abstruse language. Golden Bough Theatre troupe is committed to getting audiences back into theater with its mix of popular appeal and classical storytelling.