2025-10-16

Organized by the Ministry of Culture, "Voices of the Island: A Ritual of Gratitude Before the Temple" was officially invited as a special "Easter egg" grand finale program of the "We Taiwan" at Expo 2025 Osaka, marking a milestone as the first Taiwanese ritual theater performance presented on an international stage. The production ran for three consecutive days in late August at the "Pop-Up Stage North" in Yumeshima. Directed by Associate Professor Shih-Hue Tu of the Department of Theatre Arts at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) and with NSYSU Department of Music alumnus Shr-Yau Juo as music director, the program brought together nine groups and individual artists, including curator Neo Wu, in five thematic chapters celebrating the Taiwanese spirit of cherishing life and expressing gratitude to heaven, earth, and gods.

Minister of Culture Yuan Li announced that "Voices of the Island: A Ritual of Gratitude Before the Temple" had been officially invited to Expo 2025 Osaka as a featured "Easter egg" grand finale program of the "We Taiwan". The performance showcased: the Fu, Lu, and Shou Sanxing with "Ritual of Blessings: A Traditional Puppet Show" by Shinergy Puppet Show; a collaboration between the Uni Percussion and Piànn-tiûnn titled "Great Lord Parade: Divine Generals Guarding the Island"; renowned indigenous singer SANGPUY from Taitung and the Pingtung Puzangalan Children's Choir presenting "A Blessing from the Ancients: A Tribute to Heaven and Earth"; wenshyangdance from Chiayi staging "Orchestrated by Fate: Puah-Pue (Excerpt)"; and performers Ya-Chun Chang, Ming-Yu Hsieh, and Shu Chiu offering "The Words We Speak: A Mother's Voice" in song and mother tongue. The finale featured all artists joining together in "The Grand Harmony of Sound: Dancing to the Same Song", delivering a theatrical experience blending belief, folk art, and shared emotion.

"This production had a tight schedule, and gathering teams from different cities in Taiwan was not easy, so a great deal of time was spent on preparation," said Tu. As artistic director, she held online meetings with each team to discuss content, then coordinated with music director Juo on musical details linking each segment. Juo described his role as "a quiet stitch," weaving scenes together with ocean waves, wind, insect calls, and birdsong, then using rhythm and tonality to bridge each performance with a heartbeat-like flow during transitions. Despite limited rehearsal time, the collaborative effort unified diverse traditions and beliefs through sound, a rare achievement.

Many NSYSU alumni were also part of the production. Department of Music alumnus Yung-Chih Hsueh, who performed in the program, admitted, "At first I worried whether the musical structure would match the presence of the deity figures, but the effect turned out to be surprisingly harmonious. Having the deities on stage felt reassuring." Department of Theatre Arts alumna Wei-yun Lin served on the production team of We TAIWAN. During her studies in 2023, she spent a year as an exchange student at Mie University in Japan, which gave her a strong foundation in Japanese. "This project was a precious experience and allowed me to fulfill my dream of becoming a bridge of communication between Taiwanese and Japanese theater," she said.

Organized by the Ministry of Culture, "We TAIWAN in EXPO 2025" took place in August in Kansai, Osaka, Japan. At the site, the team overcame linguistic and cultural barriers and received enthusiastic responses from global audiences. With NSYSU members at the core alongside professional partners, the performance amplified Taiwan's cultural voice on the international stage. "Voices of the Island: A Ritual of Gratitude Before the Temple" emerged as one of the most representative cultural showcases of this year's Expo, unifying Taiwan and making its voice heard worldwide.