World premiere of “Dies ist keine Botschaft (Made in Taiwan)” at Haus der Berliner Festspiele on 24 January

On 24 January, Stefan Kaegi (Rimini Protokoll) will present the world premiere of his new theatre project “Dies is keine Botschaft (Made in Taiwan)”, co-produced by Berliner Festspiele, at Haus der Berliner Festspiele. The show will also be performed on 26 and 27 January. Together with experts from Taiwan, Kaegi, director and co-founder of the Berlin-based theatre label Rimini Protokoll, will explore the fragile state of diplomatic “in-between-ness” – of living between two superpowers. The piece is an attempt to simulate the establishment of an embassy that would be impossible in the real world – protected by the freedom of the arts.

How can it be that Taiwan is among the top twenty largest economic zones and the most vibrant democracies in Asia, and yet its government is officially prohibited from travelling to Europe? What does diplomatic recognition mean for an island that is in danger of being ground down between geopolitical power blocs in the East and West? How can the theatre as a subjective machinery of representation be turned into a stage of global politics?
 
Geologically, Taiwan is part of the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a seismically particularly active zone on the edge of the Pacific, where huge tectonic plates collide, leading to frequent major earthquakes. The island’s political stability is similarly fragile and it is in danger of being crushed between power blocs and upheaval. 
 
In 1945, Taiwan became a founding member of the United Nations and a full member of the UN-Security Council as “Republic of China”. In 1971, however, Richard Nixon re-established relations between the US and mainland China, and the “Republic of China” had to leave the UN. Ever since, Taiwan has struggled to find diplomatic recognition. Its diplomatic missions only have embassy status in a dozen countries around the globe. Although Taiwan has many international friends and trading partners, no nation can afford to break with China as an industrial power, and so Taiwan is not recognised by Germany or any other European country except the Vatican. In other words: Taiwan is only the most visible representative of a global dilemma.
 
In the theatre, we are used to pretending. How might a diplomatic representation of Taiwan work on stage? Which flag, which anthem and which ritual might fit our times?

During a seven-week research residence at the National Theatre of Taipeh, Stefan Kaegi and a group of Taiwanese artists consulted diplomats, geologists, technicians from the semiconductor industry, politicians and business people. “Dies ist keine Botschaft (Made in Taiwan)“ now features three Taiwanese diplomats on stage who could not be more different from each other:

David Chienkuo Wu has served his country in various diplomatic missions for 37 years. Among them were South Africa in times of Apartheid, Vietnam during a period when Taiwanese entrepreneurs discovered the country as an investment location, and the Central American country of Belize, where he was for once allowed to hoist his national flag because Belize is one of the good dozen of small states that officially recognise Taiwan. 

Chiayo Kuo, on the other hand, has never worked for Taiwan’s Foreign Office. She is convinced that she can reach people more directly via the informal route of her Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association, where she posts images and online content. She represents the soft power of NGOs that is typical for Taiwan – a creative response to the historically developed institutional diplomacy.
 
Debby Szu-Ya Wang avoids talking about politics in public to protect her family and their business – her biography represents a different kind of international network. As a musician, she spent half her life in Western countries while her family’s business developed a global market by exporting bubble tea ingredients, creating hundreds of private economic outposts for Taiwan.
 
Together, these three experts will use images and music on stage to simulate the opening of an embassy that would be impossible in the real world – protected by the freedom of the arts. A mobile sample of a country is created, a transformable architectural model that the three experts use as a miniature film set for their own biographies and that of their country. The audience becomes both guests and participants of a precarious mission which at its core deals not least with Germany’s relationship to China.

“Dies ist keine Botschaft (Made in Taiwan)”

Artistic Team
With Chiayo Kuo, Debby Szu-Ya Wang, David Chienkuo Wu

Stefan Kaegi (Rimini Protokoll) – Concept and Direction
Szu-Ni Wen – Dramaturgy and Assistant Director
Dominic Huber – Set Design
Mikko Gaestel – Video 
Polina Lapkovskaja (Pollyester), Debby Szu-Ya Wang, Heiko Tubbesing – Music
Yinru Lo – Research
Philip Lin – Video Shooting
Caroline Barneaud – Co-Dramaturgy
Kim Crofts – Assistant Director
Matthieu Stephan – Assistant Set Designer (trainee)
Aljoscha Begrich, Viviane Pavillon – Outside Eyes
 
Tristan Pannatier (Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne) – Production Europe
Mu Chin (National Theater & Concert Hall Taipei) – Production Taiwan

World premiere on 24 January 2024, 19:30
More performances on 27 & 27 January 2024, 19:30
Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Main Stage
Approx. 120 minutes, no interval

In English and Chinese with English and German supertitles

A production of Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne and the National Theatre & Concert Hall Taipei in co-production with Rimini Apparat, Berliner Festspiele, Volkstheater Wien, Centro Dramático Nacional Madrid, Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Festival d’Automne à Paris, National Theatre Drama / Prague Crossroads Festival.
With the support of Centre Culturel de Taiwan à Paris and Prix Tremplin Leenaards / La Manufacture.

We are happy to accept your requests for accreditation and/or interviews with the participating artists on presse@berlinerfestspiele.de.
Current rehearsal photos are available for download from the website’s press section.