“Theatre Art: Theatricalizing Shakespeare”, TUSA Visiting Scholars Lecture Series

Dr. Tuan is currently a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University sponsored by a grant provided through the TUSA. Dr. Tuan received her Ph.D. in Theatre Art from UCLA, and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at National Chiao-Tung University in Taiwan. She is also an active member of the Association for Theater in Higher Education, and the American Society for Theater Research.

Dr. Tuan employed “Fu-Chuen Marrying Off his Daughter”, a Hakka musical interpretation of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” to illustrate how timeless social elements which featured in 17th century Shakespeare plays, elements such as gender, politics and the “other”, are reflected in the Hakka subculture in modern Taiwan. She also discussed a modernized version of “The Tempest” which was brought to life on Taiwan’s stage by the theater group “Chuan Chi”, using special effects similar to those used in movie making. Dr. Tuan responded to some questions from the audience encompassing modern relationships with humor, and expressed her hope that these days all women will be able to find a considerate and gentle marriage partner.