Taiwanese Culture Night 2018

What is Taiwanese Culture Night (TCN)?

Taiwanese Culture Night is an annual, original student-run stage production hosted by a group of passionate students at UCLA. It is held in Freud Playhouse on campus and free for anyone who wishes to attend. Over 50 students put in countless hours of effort in all aspects of theater, including producing, scriptwriting, directing and acting, stage design, and media production, to put on a show for an audience of 500. In addition, TCN invites vocal performances from TauCapella, and dedicate the entire production to tell a story that educates our UCLA community and beyond about Taiwanese American culture and relevant issues that make an impact on us all.

什麼是台灣文藝晚會（TCN）

台灣文藝晚會(TCN) 是一場由一群熱血青年舉辦的年度盛宴。這個晚會完全由學生一手包辦製作、撰寫劇本、導演、戲劇演出、後台製作與燈光音響、舞台設計、影片剪輯、還有人聲合唱演出。五十餘名學生在課業與工作之餘，熱情付出時間與努力為五百席的觀眾提供充滿娛樂、懷舊、與感動的一晚。今年的晚會將如常在校園的Freud Playhouse於4月15日開幕，並免費對外開放給任何希望出席的嘉賓。

Our Story

Taiwan's history and culture are amazingly diverse. This year’s story highlights the period of time when the tension between Taiwanese local residents and Mainlanders who moved to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War was heightened and when freedom was merely a concept. Set during the world second longest martial law, the story depicts how people of different origins stand tall through the darkest days and persist on a common dream – fight for a better tomorrow. The story is built around a romantic story of a young couple fighting against cultural and political barriers. Through reflecting the past, we re-examine what we have today and who we are as Taiwanese. The Directors wanted to convey to our audience that in the end, no matter you are "bensheng ren" (Taiwanese local resident) or "waisheng ran" (Mainlander), we all live in the same country and celebrate the same cultural richness of Taiwanese heritage.

我們的故事

台灣的文化與歷史既精彩動人卻無可避免衝突的存在。今年的故事欲呈現一段對於台灣文化相當重要的歷史：1950年代開始本省人與外省人間的衝突與矛盾，在當時，“自由”只是個不切實際的詞彙。以歷史上為期第二長的戒嚴時期為背景，這齣劇將會帶領觀眾一同回顧當時的一切，看看不同背景的人們，是如何在逆境中奮鬥與堅持。本故事從一對情侶的感情作為出發點，在劇中，他們呈現如何在那政治敏感的時代，為愛犧牲，為愛勇敢。一同審視過去的同時，我們將更真切的感受並感激我們今天所擁有的一切。藉由這齣戲，導演們想傳遞一個訊息：不管是本省人或是外省人，大家都是台灣這個土地的子女，我們該一同珍惜所有過去的文化遺產及故事，因為，我們都是台灣人！

Taukappella

Taukappella, originally named “TAU A Cappella,” was formed in 2006 by a group of UCLA students who enjoy Mandarin pop music. Although our group members come from various ethnic, and academic background, all past and present members bond through their love for music and performing. Our music style continues to evolve over the years. We started off by singing a variety of genres of Mandarin pop songs. However, in recent years, we began to create mash-ups with English pop songs by artists like Bruno Mars and introduced Kpop culture to the group. Throughout the years, we have expanded our audiences by performing at various venues throughout the LA community, ranging from on campus Lunar New Year Galas to off-campus events hosted by San Gabriel City Council, the Chinese Embassy, and more. We have spent a lot of time and effort preparing new music for this year’s TCN - we’re excited to be performing again and we hope you can support us!

Taukappella, 原本名為"TAU A Cappella”， 是由一群熱愛華語流行音樂的學生於2006成立的人聲合唱團。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。我們從唱許多華語歌開始，但是近年，我們開始結合不同樂壇的音樂元素，例如英語歌手 Bruno Mars 的歌以及韓語樂壇 KPOP 的音樂。多年來，我們也積極在各種洛杉磯地區的活動表演以擴大我們的觀眾，從 UCLA 校園的迎春晚會到 San Gabriel 市議會舉辦的活動。我們為了今年的 TCN 精心準備了新的音樂，也很期待今年再度在 TCN 的舞台上為觀眾獻上我們的歌聲。希望你們能夠全力支持我們!

Why we need your help.

Taiwanese Culture Night reaches a unique audience of about 500 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. However, our production costs $20,000 to put on each year and as a free, fully student-run production we are asking you, the community, for your support. We want to continue raising cultural awareness to make an impact in the UCLA community. All donation is tax deductible. 

為什麼我們需要你的幫助

TCN成立18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製作與幕後的開銷，包括服裝、道具、和使用UCLA戲劇學院 Freud Playhouse 場地的費用。這次演出總計需要花費近兩萬美金。所有參與演出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。所有為我們演出提供的捐助都可以減稅！

Thank you

We, the Taiwanese Culture Night 2018 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 are able to join us at our show on April 15th!

感謝

在此，我們台灣文藝晚會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，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!