Graduate students from the International Master of the Arts Program in Cultural and Creative Industries (IMCCI) will stage an English-language play "Venus in Fur" by David Ives.
There will be four performances at T305 at the TNUA School of Theatre Arts from May 15 to 17.
Prof. Hung-Hui Lu, chief director of the International Exchange Center, said the staging of the play is to encourage cross-disciplinary cooperation between the students from IMCCI and other departments.
It is also part of a course on cultural diversity and artistic creativity, said Prof. Lu, who is an adviser to the production team.
The production team is formed by graduate students from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Persu, Mexico, Thailand, South Africa, Malaysia and Taiwan, plus students from the Department of Theatre Arts, the Department of Theatre Design & Technology, and the Department of Fine Arts.
It provides not only an opportunity of cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary cooperation, but also a first-hand experience of Taiwan's performing arts.
"Venus in Fur" is a two-character play set in modern New York City. It had its premiere off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company in 2010 and on Broadway in 2011.
For the TNUA production, Chi plays the female character Vanda Jordan, and Lawrence Ong the male character Thomas Novachek.
Both Chi and Ong are experienced actors. Chi has taken part in many stage productions, including "Wild Swan" by American Repertory Theatre & Young Vic in London.
Ong, a graduate student of the Department of Theatre Arts, is from Malaysia. He has participated in several stage and film productions in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The director is Jaime Zúñiga from Guatemala. He said he studied economics back home, but started an acting career after graduating from college. Having taken part in stage productions in Vietnam and Thailand, he said he hopes this cross-department and cross-cultural production at TNUA can present a play in a different style.
More information is available on Facebook page "Venus in Fur by International Drama Group."