Scenario:
Thrusted back to the 1920s through the rip in the fabric of time
Flying with the youths in quest of liberty and the courage of resistance
In 2022, a site-specific performance, The Flying-Off, is created by Against the Wind Theatre. One of the leading characters is based on a real person,Taiwan’s first aviator Hsieh, Wen-ta. It is covered with multiple performances like circus, singing, and dancing and leads the audience back to the 1920s. One hundred years ago, Aviator Hsieh flew his plane named “Taipei” and dropped anti-colonial leaflets over Tokyo in support of a petition that would lead to increased Taiwanese self-governance. It also involves the audience in the experience how the young man Hsieh in the 1920s and the youth Achi (the other leading character) in 2020s chase their dreams and quest for liberty and the courage of resistance. No matter in which era, the youths strive to overcome difficulties and fly to the blue sky. They fight against high-risk behaviors and fly off.
Plot:
The youth Achi is just engaged in gang membership and his first mission is to drive out the protesters against the house reconstruction. As soon as he arrives, he finds that one of the protesters is his childhood sweetheart, Shanshan, whose family are still living in the historical house. Achi has no choice to break into the house and happens to see a model of an old plane and lots of files as well on the desk. He opens the files out of curiosity and a rip in the fabric of time thrusts him to the year of 1923, right at the time Aviator Hsieh plans to drop leaflets and just right in his study room. They meet, plant the seed of changing fate, and start to chase dreams and quest for liberty.
Company:
Against the Wind Theatre is a nonprofit organization and has been aiming at the dropouts and high-risk adolescents and committing to providing longtermsupport and keep company with them in a variety of forms. Through acting and participating in public welfare activities, the adolescents are able to transform. Against the Wind Theatre fosters a dialogue in society so as to break down the negative stereotype “rebellious teenager” and helps the youths obtain a chance to achieve a sense of accomplishment. It also brings out its point of view through the art forms and flies with the high-risk adolescents against the wind. Against the Wind Theatre guides the youths by way of acting, participating in public welfare activities, practicing the project of Elders-Youth Co-creation,launching performance tours called “Dream Train” around the island of Taiwan, and transporting charities etc. Besides, Against the Wind Theatre promotes the performing art to the middle way educational placement and hopefully the performing art, just like flower seeds, could sprout and blossom everywhere. Training courses for passionate teachers are arranged and college students are invited to be partners. Empathy is expected to develop while keeping adolescents company. Against the Wind Theatre has been making an effort to repair the holes in our social security net and has received more and more adolescents at the bottom of society. We lead them to swim through troubled waters and get back on track. We expect to make a positive impact on society.
Production Team:
Producer: Wei-sheng Cheng
Plot Producer: Hung-yang Chen
Director / Playwright: Tien Chin
Dramatic Skill Instructor: Tzu-ling Huang
Executive Producer / Stage Manager: Chia-chia Wang
Choreographer: Wei-Ting Yu
Property Designer: Hao-yu Chung
Music Director / Graphic Designer / Marketing: Matt Jhang
Costume Designer: Chu-ching Cheng
Assistant Director: Pei-syuan Pan
Actor: Chou-ai Chen, Hsin-ju Teng, Hsin-tien Huang, Kuan-yu Hsieh, Pi-erh
Li, Pu-ting Shen, Yu-hsuan Chou, Yu-tsen Tsai, Yung-chuan Lo, Yung-mei Lin, Chih-Yun Lin,
Yu-Chen Chen
Playwright Assistant: Chou-ai Chen, Pi-erh Li
Property Assistant: Pu-ting Shen, Yu-tsen Tsai
Marketing Assistant: Hsin-ju Teng, Yu-hsuan Chou, Yung-chuan Lo
Costume Design Assistant: Hsin-tien Huang, Yung-mei Lin
Production Assistant: Kuan-yu Hsieh, Yen-ming Chen