Taipei, March 27 (CNA) A show commemorating the 200th anniversary of Danish fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen will be performed in Taipei by the Odin Theatre, one of the leading experimental theaters in the world, the National Theater announced Monday.
"Andersen's Dream" was created based on 11 fairy tales by Andersen and will be performed March 29 - April 2 at the National Theater, where the Odin Theatre debuted in Taiwan in 2002.
Founded by Italian-born Eugenio Barba in 1964 in Oslo, Norway, the Odin Theatre focuses on three elements -- breath, limb and sound -- in its performances. It has been regarded in the last 40 years as "the Mecca of experimental theater" and has been based in a barn in the small town of Holstebro, Denmark since 1965.
Odin is not a conventional theater, 69-year-old Barba said, adding that he expects Taiwanese audiences to experience the performance with an open mind.
It will not be difficult, because Odin tries to communicate with audiences through sound and signals, not psychology, he said. And it's natural to do so since Odin's actors are of different nationalities, speaking several different languages.
"Much of our performances are built on signals. Music and voice play important roles, too," Barba said.
Performances by the Odin Theatre became an instant hit and a must-see for Taiwanese theater workers since its last visit in 2002, said Chung Min-der, a professor at the Taiwan National University of Art.
All tickets are sold out two months before Odin Theatre's arrival.
To give Taiwanese audiences the full experience of the theater's original atmosphere, Odin Theatre has shipped its unique audience seating arrangement, a round theater, from Holstebro to Taipei.
"Andersen's Dream" is the third of five legs of the 2006 International Theatre Festival, which takes place at the National Theater from Feb. 25 - April 30. Theaters from Hong Kong and Canada will perform after the Odin Theatre.