Pao-Chang Tsai Make United States Debut with SOLO DATE

Solo Date, directed by Tainaner Ensemble's co-artistic director Pao-Chang TSAI, will be presented for three performances in the San Francisco International Arts Festival for its US premiere. The performance will be run from May 31st to June 2nd at the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture Southside Theater.

Solo Date tells the story of Ho-Nien, who attempts to reconstruct his deceased lover through Artificial Intelligence and social media. Innovative, elegant and moving, Solo Date uses new media to explore loneliness and longing, desire, death, human loss and need. The performance also raises profound ethical questions surrounding the interactive technologies humankind increasingly relies on. The play is co-presented by the Queer Cultural Center.

The director, Pao-Chang Tsai, frequently works as a playwright, director, and actor, and has collaborated with organizations including the National Symphony Orchestra, Shakespeare's Wild Sisters Group, Creative Society, Horse Dance Theatre, and the If Kids Theatre. Since 2009, Pao-Chang has served as a co-artistic director and creative partner to Po-Shen Lu at the Tainaner Ensemble. The Tainaner Ensemble made significant contributions to the development of performing arts in Tainan, a city located in southern Taiwan. In early 2012 the Tainaner Ensemble moved to Taipei City, signalling a new phase in its evolution.

Solo Date has had performances in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016 and was invited to perform at the opening of the Ars Eletronica Festival, Austria. Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture (Taiwan) and supported by the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in San Francisco, Director Pao-Chang TSAI invokes love and reconstructs a love story through his unique surrealism.

Performance Information:
Thursday, May 31, 8:30pm (opening night reception with the artist to follow);
Friday, June 1, 7:00pm;
Saturday, June 2, 3:00pm

Location: Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture/South Side Theater (Landmark Building C, 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94123)

Ticket Information:
http://www.sfiaf.org/2018_pao_chang_tsai
Tel:(415)399-3554

Artist Talk
Saturday, June 2, 7:00pm
Location: Friends of SF Public Library Bookstore (710 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102)

Workshop (By Pao-Chang Tsai)
Sunday, June 3, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Location: American Conservatory Theatre (Eight Grant Avenue, Fifth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102)
More info: http://www.sfiaf.org/pao_chang_tsai_master_class