Dies ist keine Botschaft (Made in Taiwan)

In the organizer's words:

Stefan Kaegi (Rimini Protokoll)

World premiere

This piece is an attempt to simulate the construction of an impossible embassy. How do we imagine a territory that is officially not allowed to be recognized as a state, but nevertheless comes alive on stage in every performance?

Geologically, Taiwan is part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire," a seismically particularly active zone in which huge tectonic plates collide, and so severe earthquakes occur here time and again. Political stability on the island is similarly fragile. It, too, is in danger of being pulverized between power blocs and tremors.

In 1945, Taiwan became one of the founding members of the United Nations as the Republic of China and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. But in 1971, Richard Nixon restored U.S. relations with mainland China, and the "Republic of China" was forced to leave the United Nations. Since then, Taiwan has struggled for diplomatic recognition. Its diplomatic missions have embassy status in only a dozen countries around the globe. While Taiwan has numerous international friends and trading partners on the one hand, no nation can afford to sever ties with economic power China, and so Taiwan is not recognized diplomatically by Germany or any other European country except the Vatican. In other words, Taiwan is only the most visible representative of a global dilemma.

In this situation, Taiwan has developed a new form of foreign policy that allows it to network with other countries through NGOs and economic relations, even under the radar of official diplomacy. In theater, we are used to pretending. How might a representation of Taiwan work on stage? What flag, anthem, and ritual fits our times?

Together with Taiwanese artists, Stefan Kaegi interviewed diplomats, geologists, technicians from the semiconductor industry, politicians and business people during a seven-week research residency at the National Theater Taipei. Three of them are on stage for "This is Not a Message (Made in Taiwan)": a retired ambassador, a digital activist, and a musician and sole heir to a bubble tea empire.

Together with Rimini Protokoll, they create a mobile sample of a country, a transformable architectural model that they use as a miniature film set. With small cameras in hand, they have puppets portraying themselves play roles. Where will this political thriller take us?



Artistic team

With Chiayo Kuo, Debby (Szu-Ya) Wang, David (Chien-Kuo) Wu

Stefan Kaegi (Rimini Protokoll) - concept and direction

Szu-Ni Wen - dramaturgy and assistant director

Dominic Huber - stage

Mikko Gaestel - video

Polina Lapkovskaja (Pollyester) - music

Yinru Lo - research

Philip Lin - video shooting

Caroline Barneaud - co-dramaturgy

Kim Crofts - assistant director (internship)

Caroline Savary - assistant stage manager (internship)



Tristan Pannatier (Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne) - Production Europe

Mu Chin, Dub Lau (National Theater & Concert Hall Taipei) - Production Taiwan

This content has been machine translated.

Price information:

15.00 - 39.00€