Taiwanese Culture Night 2024

Taiwanese Culture Night is an annual, original student-run stage production hosted by a group of passionate UCLA students committed to showcasing the unique characteristics and charms of Taiwanese culture. This year, our 24th annual production will be held at Royce Hall in Spring 2024 and will be free for anyone who wishes to attend. Throughout the academic year 2023-2024, a team of over 50 students put in countless hours of effort in all aspects of theater, including producing, scriptwriting, directing, publicity, acting, filming, stage design, and media production. Our fervor lies not only in the promotion of Taiwanese culture but also in creating an experience that engraves entertaining, nostalgic, and moving memories for an audience of over 1000. In addition, TCN dedicates the entire production to telling a story that educates our UCLA community and beyond about Taiwanese American culture and relevant issues that have an impact on us all.

台灣文化之夜(TCN) 是一場由一群充滿熱忱的UCLA學生為宣揚台灣文化的特徵與魅力所舉辦的年度盛宴。這個晚會從製作、撰寫劇本、導演、宣傳、戲劇演出、拍攝、後台製作到燈光音響、舞台設計、影片剪輯完全由UCLA學生一手包辦。五十餘名學生在整個學年中(2023-2024)平衡課業與社團工作，熱情付出時間與努力不僅是為宣揚台灣文化，同時也希望能為一千席的觀眾留下充滿娛樂、懷舊與感動的深刻回憶。今年的晚會將在UCLA校園的 Royce Hall 於2024 Spring Quarter 盛大演出，並免費對外開放給任何希望出席的嘉賓。

OUR STORY

Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, this year’s story explores the unique history of Taiwan from two perspectives: local Taiwanese residents and Mainlanders who fled during the Chinese Civil War. The Montagues and Capulets of this story clash on their opinions of what it means to be Taiwanese, with dramatic consequences to our story’s lovers. Our story uncovers the intergenerational trauma of many Taiwanese families throughout Taiwan’s history and uncovers how everyday people rose up to protest the government’s oppression of a Taiwanese identity. Just like the story of Taiwan, our story demonstrates how families once locked in violent conflict come together to build a brighter future. TCN 2024 will be a story of perseverance, identity, and forgiveness. We will explore the full story of Taiwan, embracing controversial aspects of Taiwan’s history to educate our audience on Taiwan’s place in the world and its past, present, and future. 

今年的TCN受《羅密歐與朱麗葉》啓發，從兩個不同的視角探討了台灣獨特的歷史：本省人和外省人。故事中的Montagues和Capulets在什麼代表台灣人的含義上發生了衝突，從而給故事中的戀人帶來了戲劇性的後果。我們的故事揭示了台灣歷史上許多台灣家庭的代際創傷，以及普通人如何奮起抗議政府對台灣人身份的壓迫。像台灣的故事一樣，我們的故事展示了曾經陷入激烈衝突的家庭如何團結起來並共同努力建設更加美好的未來。TCN 2024 將是一個關於堅持、自我認同和寬恕的故事。我們將探索完整的台灣故事，接受台灣歷史上有爭議的方面，讓觀眾瞭解台灣在世界上的地位及其過去、現在和未來。

TCN BAND

Taiwanese Culture Night (TCN) Band was formed in 2022 by a group of UCLA students who enjoy Mandarin pop music. Although our group members come from various ethnic and academic backgrounds, all past and present members bond through their love for music and performing, whether it be through voice or various musical instruments. Last year we played a mixture of contemporary Mandarin pop and also Taiwanese/Hokkien pop from the 1990s in an attempt to connect the new and old, and this year we will not only be doing the same but also further expanding that to cover more ground of what Taiwanese music means to us. We hope that in the years to come we can explore different genres and music styles, hopefully also bringing our performances above and beyond the scope of UCLA TCN into off-campus invitational events. We have spent a lot of time and effort preparing new music for this year’s TCN (including an original song written by our one and only Music Director!), and we’re so excited to be performing again and we hope you can support us!

Taiwanese Culture Night (TCN) Band， 是由一群熱愛華語流行音樂的學生於2022成立的流行音樂樂團。我們的成員來自各種不同的文化背景，但是我們以前到現在的成員都擁有一個很大的共通點 -- 我們對音樂與表演抱持很大的熱衷，也因為興趣相投而一起努力創造出能感動觀眾的音樂，無論是透過主唱動人的歌聲還是樂手們的樂器。去年的TCN我們既表演了現今華語樂壇的周興哲“你，好不好？”也表演了來自90年代的台語歌林強“向前走”為了就是將華語樂壇的新舊結合創造出新的火花。我們希望在不久的將來可以探索更多不一樣的音樂風格和語種，將這個能感動人的國際語言從UCLA開始帶出校外的各種活動和表演。我們為了今年的 TCN 精心準備了新的音樂，其中一首更是又我們的音樂總監親自譜曲的新歌，也很期待今年再度在 TCN 的舞台上為觀眾獻上我們的音樂。希望你們能夠全力支持我們!

For more than 20 years, Taiwanese Culture Night (TCN) has provided free entrance to anyone interested in attending. The show reaches a unique audience of about 1000 students and faculty, some of whom attend with little to no knowledge of Taiwanese culture. Because admission is free, each year, we are able to highlight our culture to a new audience and celebrate it with others in our community without hindering those with financial concerns. Therefore, we must actively raise funds to cover the expenses associated with the show, production, filming, and backstage costs, which include costumes, props, and the utilization of the UCLA Royce Hall venue. The overall cost of the show is over $40,000. Every student involved in the performance and production has volunteered their time and effort without any financial compensation. Our strong dedication to enhancing cultural awareness in Taiwan drives us to put in the hard work to ensure the success of this show. We want to continue raising cultural awareness to make an impact in the UCLA community. Thus, as a free and fully student-run production, we humbly seek your support and the community's support. Your contribution will not only contribute to the promotion of Taiwanese culture but will also play a crucial role in making the Taiwanese Culture Night performance a resounding success. 

台灣文化之夜(TCN)成立24年以來每年都堅持提供免費的門票以便任何希望出席的觀眾入場。因此，我們同時必須募集資金來承擔演出、製作、拍攝與幕後的開銷，包括服裝、道具、和使用UCLA Royce Hall場地的費用。這次演出總計需要花費近四萬美金。所有參與演出與製作的學生都是志願付出時間與心血，不會分得任何金錢利益。我們相當注重也支持增加台灣文化意識，完全願意全心為這場晚會的成功而努力打拚，因此我們也希望能得到您的支持。您的支持不僅能夠為台灣文化盡一份心力，同時也讓台灣文化之夜的演出更完整。

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

We, the Taiwanese Culture Night 2024 Team, sincerely thank you for your support. Your impact is the reason we are able to fulfill our dreams of expressing our passion and unique cultural backgrounds through the performing arts. We hope you can join us at our show in Spring 2024!

在此，我們台灣文化之夜2024的團隊由衷感謝您的大力支持。我們能夠實現這樣的夢想，透過舞台展現我們的熱忱與獨特的文化背景，全是因為有您！期待您能出席今年的晚會，前來與我們共襄盛舉!

If you'd like to learn more about the production, we are on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tcn_at_ucla/ (tcn_at_ucla)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TCNatUCLA/ (Taiwanese Culture Night at UCLA)

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Should this fund reach the campus minimum required for the establishment of an endowment or quasi-endowment, The UCLA Foundation reserves the right to convert this fund to an endowment or quasi-endowment. Please click here to learn more about how the UCLA Foundation invests and manages its endowments.