Stage play highlighting Taiwan's diplomatic challenges to go on European tour

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) A stage play that highlights Taiwan's diplomatic challenges will embark on a European tour starting Thursday and continuing into 2026, with performances scheduled in France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

"This is not an Embassy (Made in Taiwan)" (這不是個大使館) is a Taiwanese-European co-production written and directed by Swiss-German director Stefan Kaegi, co-founder of the Rimini Protokoll theater company in Berlin.

The play features three novice actors from vastly different backgrounds -- retired Taiwanese diplomat David Wu (吳建國), vibraphonist Debby Wang (王思雅) and Chiayo Kuo (郭家佑), founder of the NGO Digital Diplomacy -- and explores the diplomatic challenges Taiwan would face if it were to launch a new embassy, the Ministry of Culture said in a press release Tuesday.

By doing so, the production seeks to prompt reflection on Taiwan's unique international status and its diplomatic efforts, the ministry said.

According to Kaegi, the work emerged from his conversations with Taiwanese diplomats, businesspeople, politicians and semiconductor engineers during his seven-week residency at the National Theater in Taipei in 2022.

In 2025, the production will be staged from Oct. 16 to 18 at Théâtre des Célestins during the Festival Sens Interdits in Lyon, France; from Oct. 25 to 26 at the Teatro Astra during the Festival delle Colline Torinesi in Turin, Italy; from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 at the Spielart Festival in Munich, Germany; and from Nov. 6 to 7 at the Centre Dramatique National d'Orléans in Orléans, France, according to the ministry.

In 2026, performances are scheduled from Feb. 24 to 28 at Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, and from March 5 to 7 at Le Maillon in Strasbourg, France, the ministry said.