IVP presents Two New Plays from Taiwan Exploring Marriage Equality this November

International Voices Project, with support from Ministry of Culture, Taiwan and Taipei Cultural Center in New York and Co-curated by Yu Chien Liu and Chi-Ping Yen present "Happily Ever After" Two New Plays from Taiwan Explore Marriage Equality in a staged reading with audience discussion immediately following performances at the Cultural Center Sunday, Nov. 17 at 12 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 18 at 6. p.m.. Tickets are free and may be reserved at IVPChicago.org.

In May 2019, Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. Join us with two contemporary Taiwanese plays exploring Marriage Equality. The evening will feature excerpted staged readings from Solo Date by Pao-Chang Tsai and The Possible Memoirs of a Traitor by Li-Ying Chien. Followed by a discussion with directors, playwright Pao-Chang Tsai, and IVP Executive Director Patrizia Acerra. Blending new media, real-life events, and various performative techniques, Tsai's and Chien's highly political and engaged works give voice to an emerging cultural movement in Taiwan. As established queer artists, their creative processes and cultural productions also shed light on the struggles and achievements of the LGBTQ community in Taiwan and Asia today.

Based on a comprehensive field study of the LGBTQ movement, HIV/AIDS medical treatment, and family and religious issues in Taiwanese society, Li-Ying Chien's The Possible Memoirs of a Traitor (2017) uncovers stories from a Taipei gay shelter in the 90's. Pao-Chang Tsai's Solo Date (2016) takes place in the 2030's. Using traditional Taiwanese ritual and AI technology, a man reaches back in time in search of his deceased lover. But after decrypting the lover's private data, new truths come to light.