Taiwan's Shinehouse Theatre to make SoHo Playhouse debut in New York

Taipei, Jan. 20 (CNA) Shinehouse Theatre will become the first Taiwanese group to appear at the SoHo Playhouse in New York with a run of performances of "The Whisper of the Waves" from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2.

The Taipei-based theater company's appearance is part of the SoHo Playhouse's International Fringe Encore Series, which sees stand-out plays from international festivals given an opportunity for an "extended run Off-Broadway," according to the SoHo Playhouse.

In a statement Monday, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture said Shinehouse Theatre caught the eyes of talent scouts for the "Encore" series while performing "The Whisper of the Waves" at the 2024 Prague Fringe in the Czech Republic.

Shinehouse Theatre edged past competing groups from the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, and India to be selected for the SoHo Playhouse's "Encore" series, the ministry said.

"The Whisper of the Waves," inspired by the worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns starting in 2020, delves into the common themes of "love, loneliness, and existence," according to an introduction of the play on SoHo Playhouse's website.

By exploring the relationships between interdependence and companionship through bonds forged between humans and plants and humans and animals, the play aims to show that they are "not lonely despite being alone," the introduction states.

"The Whisper of the Waves" has been translated into English, Japanese, and Korean and staged at the Korean People Theater Festival in 2020, the Seoul International Environmental Theater Festival in 2021, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022.

In a statement, the Taipei Cultural Center in New York expressed the hope that Shinehouse Theatre's debut at the SoHo Playhouse will spotlight Taiwanese performing groups and land them more invitations to perform abroad.