A ceremony was held in Prague on June 19 to launch World Stage Design (WSD) 2017, presenting its Taipei co-hosts, TNUA and TATT (Taiwan Association of Theatre Technology).

TNUA President Prof. Yang Chyi Wen and TATT President Mr. Liu Pei-neng attended the handover ceremony, formally accepting the responsibility of organizing the event from its last organizer, represented by Mr. Ian Evans, technical director of WSD 2013 in Cardiff.

The ceremony was presided over by OISTAT (International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians) President Mr. Louis Janssen.

The handover ceremony was also attended by participants of PQ (Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space) 2015, including members of international theatre groups and curators from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Promotional films for WSD 2017 were screened at the ceremony, plus interviews of theatre practitioners. There were also performances.

Prof. Yang noted that it is the first time that Taiwan has ever hosted WSD, thanks to years of efforts invested by TATT.

It attests to the competitiveness of Taiwan's theatre sector, which leverages on cultural and artistic strengths to increase Taiwan's presence on the international stage, Prof. Yang said. 

WSD, which takes place every four years, started in Toronto in 2005, followed by Seoul in 2009.

The 2017 edition in Taipei will feature an exhibition of stage designs, as well as various performances, master classes, lectures and workshops. 

During his stay in Prague, Prof. Yang also visited the PQ2015 exhibition on June 18. Sixteen works by Taiwan students were displayed there, eight of them belonging to TNUA students or its alumni from the Department of Theatre Design and Technology.