Rise-fall and Present Situation of Teahouse Theatre in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chen, Ching-Shen, 陳慶昇
• Other Authors: Shi, Guang-Sheng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/12956226721661477218

碩士 === 國立臺灣藝術大學 === 戲劇學系 === 103 === In the history of Chinese drama , teahouse is closely related to the theatre. Teahouse performances had been an important leisure activity of common people, particularly due to the popularization of quyi performance since Qing dynasty to Republic of China. Different from European and American theatre manners, audiences in teahouse theatre was not required to comply with etiquette, they might drink tea, chat with each other, eat snacks, and applaud during the show as pleased. It was a unique theatre culture in China. Some theatres were not teahouse, but also provide free tea service during performance, which were very common in some major cities in the late Qing dynasty and the beginning of Republic. In 1949, ROC government moved to Taiwan , teahouse theatre thus roots here. It had a splendid history in Yingqiao Teahouse and Red House Theater. However, following with the evolution of technological civilization, entertainment styles becomes various, traditional performing arts increasingly diminished, teahouse theatre is also withered. There are still many teahouses art exhibitions in Mainland China now, but gone prosperity. Only Taipei’s Ximen Red House serves as a teahouse theatre in Taiwan nowadays. Besides, there is only Taipei Quyi Tuan’s annual spring program： Tea House Theatre of Taipei can be classified as teahouse performance. How did teahouse theater rise? Why did it decline? Is Red House suitable to be managemented as teahouse theater for long? What is the value of Tea House Theatre of Taipei? These are the key points will be discussed in this paper. I hope this thesis can apply a more clear scheme for Taiwan’s teahouse theater history.