The central city of Taichung now has a brand-new state-of-the-art performing arts place – the Taichung Metropolitan Opera House. The building was opened to the public on Sunday.
An opening ceremony was held in the plaza at the opera house on Sunday afternoon. President Ma Ying-jeou and Taichung Mayor Jason Hu were both in attendance.
A renowned local performance troupe – the Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group – staged a show called Cat Man.
Sunday’s performance was just one in a series of large-scale events surrounding the opening of the new opera house. An interactive art festival is underway through the end of the year. Also, a ten-minute 3D display of digital light sculptures wowed audiences on Friday and Saturday night. That show, took half a year to design, and was created with the opera house’s unusual design in mind.
The building was designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, featuring amoebic curved walls and a Sound Cave. The main opera house will seat over 2,000, while an additional playhouse will accommodate 800, and a black box theater 200 people.