Dadaaocheng Theater Introduction
Dadaocheng Theatre is located on the 8th and 9th floors of Yongle Market. Before 1908, it was originally a garden, which was converted into a market during the Japanese occupation, gathering nearly a thousand textile shops and becoming the largest fabric center in Taiwan. Dadaocheng is also known as the cradle of traditional opera, referred to as "the opera cave." The mission of Dadaocheng Theatre is to perform, promote, and preserve traditional operas. The theater on the 9th floor hosts various traditional opera performances, such as hand puppet theater, Peking opera, Nanguan, Beiguan, Hakka opera, and storytelling, while the 8th floor arts venue regularly features puppetry, Nanguan, and storytelling programs. The first floor plaza arranges cultural and artistic activities called "Play in the Theatre." In spring and autumn, the theatre offers cultural and artistic workshops covering opera, tea art, and fabric art courses and organizes free artistic lectures and screenings of opera films. The corridor display area on the 8th floor features a permanent exhibition of puppetry and occasional special exhibitions. Guided tours can be booked for groups of ten or more. Various rehearsal rooms and multifunctional briefing rooms are also available for rental by artistic groups. Additionally, there are plans for promoting opera performances in schools, an arts education program, and training and performances for a youth hand puppet troupe, all aimed at systematically passing on traditional operas and nurturing young talent.
