Hai-Ling Wang, the Queen of Yu Opera, performs with Generation Next talent Kris Kuan in an epic theatrical showdown!


From a bizarre murder case to chalk circles past and present, this play takes you on a mystery-solving journey to the truth. Can justice be finally served?

Days before the performance, an actor’s body was discovered on the stage. The jaded cop arrived on the scene with his rookie sidekick, and the horrifying chalk circle marked the spot of a perfect crime. Everyone was a suspect; everyone had an alibi.

Preoccupied with the whodunit, the troupe carried on with rehearsals for The Chalk Circle, while the investigation ran towards a seeming dead-end, and the higher-ups prepared to close the case. However, on the day of the performance, the rookie who believed in the sanctity of justice discovered a clue by accident, and what he gradually unraveled was beyond murder, bigger and more involved than anyone thought possible.

This play recreates the scene of the unsolved mystery in increments, along with the deductions; it also deconstructs Bertolt Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle, the play-within-a-play, in order to find parallels between fiction and the mystery at hand.

Specifically commissioned as the opening production of the 2013 Taipei Arts Festival, this show pays tribute to both eastern and western theatre through the combination of Taiwanese opera, Henan opera, Beijing opera and rock musicals, forging a new genre of “rocking Chinese opera.”



ChiChiao Musical Theatre
ChiChiao Musical Theatre was established in 2004 by two sisters from a family of opera artists. The company hopes to maintain and renew the art form of traditional opera. While reserving the “all sounds are songs, all movement dance” principle of traditional opera, the company also uses modern elements to enhance and diversify its oeuvre: the 2008 Kaoshiung Happy Go crossed the boundaries of traditional opera sub-genres, while the 2011 Who’s the Boss captured the public eye with the combination of Taiwanese opera, Henan opera and rock musicals.

With joyful presentation and the use of modern idiom, ChiChiao brings the younger generation into the theatre to experience the engaging diversity of the performing arts.


Playwright, Director and Performer    Chien-kuo Liu
Holds an MFA in theatre from TNUA. Current owner of ChiChiao Musical Theatre. Writing credits include plays, musicals, Taiwanese operas, Henan operas and TV shows. Well-recognized artist in cross-cultural, cross-traditional, and cross-genre theatrical works.


Performer    Chien-hua Liu
Young star of Taiwan Bangzi Company in the sheng role; studied under Chu Hai-shan and Wang Hai-ling. Past works include The Queen and the Royal Concubine, Taiwan Bangzi Company’s adaptations of Measure for Measure, and Turandot.


Guest Artist    Hai-Ling Wang
Recipient of the 4th National Award for the Arts. Called “the queen of Henan opera”; top-biller at Taiwan Bangzi Company. In 50-odd years of theatrical career, she starred in 148 productions, in 149 different roles.


Guest Artist    Ching Kuan
Celebrated young female rocker; began her singing career at the age of 15. Later attended the theatre program at TNUA; is preparing to launch her first album.




Produced by    ChiChiao Musical Theatre
Director, Playwright    Chien-Kuo Liu
Performers    Chien-Hua Liu and Chien-Kuo Liu
Guest Artists    Hai-Lin Wang and Ching Kuan