Norza：The Adventure to the Dragon Palace - Paperwindmill Theatre “Norza” is a tutelary god for children. He is also the most rewritten Taiwanese legend among creatives. This story talks about how a little boy, Norza, becomes a hero protecting people from evil using empathy, courage, imagination, and wisdom. Artistic Director, Yung-Feng Lee, created “Norza – The Adventure to the Dragon Palace,” which combines his warm childhood memory of watching glove puppet shows in front of temples and his academic study of modern theater. He wishes children could learn empathy, courage, imagination, and wisdom from traditional arts. One day, Norza is at the beach with his friends. They accidentally meet the turtle brothers, who are out kidnapping children for dinner on the Dragon King’s order. To save his friend, Norza travels down to the dragon palace with his born incredible strength and courage to seek justice. He defeated Dragon King’s most loved third son. The prince is crying in pain and yelling, “cramps,” which sounds like “pull the tendon” in Chinese. Norza, to help relieve the prince’s pain, mistakenly pulled the “dragon tendon.” Now, Norza is in big trouble. How can he resolve this conflict peacefully? “Norza – The Adventure to the Dragon Palace” was performed in Mannheim, Germany (1990). The critic at Mannheimer Morgen wrote, “…switching between puppets and real humans on stage creates excitement and surprises for the audience. Fascinating Peking opera armory martial arts tells a poetic and creative story.” Paperwindmill Theatre revived the show in 2022. On top of the traditional glove puppetry, Paper Windmill incorporated traditional arts like Peking opera Kungfu, Taiwanese Ba Jia Jiang (The Eight Generals) steps, Beiguan Music, etc. With the help of digital technology and modern theatrical creativities, the show layers 3D animation and mesmerizing lighting, turning the stage into a painting. The line between reality and virtuality is blurred on stage, carrying the audience thousands of miles away in one second. After performing at Taiwan Traditional Theatre Center in March 2022, Paperwindmill Theatre built the standard theater stage outdoors for the first time in August. Each show attracted more than 11K spectators, the same amount as one NBA game. After four outdoor shows, over 40K spectators enjoyed the 90-min of splendid performances. This is explicitly produced for families of all ages. The production has been reinterpreted over time so that the children can learn the beauty of traditional culture through innovation. The power of “Love and Care” is what Paperwindmill Theatre honors, making the everlasting stories encourages children the daily heroes. ------------------------------------------------------------ About Paperwindmill Theatre -Spin with the wind and grow in the wind. The first of Paperwindmill Cultural Foundation’s four performing-arts-related subdivisions founded in 1992, Paperwindmill Theatre has earned its widespread acclaim on the diversity of children theatres pieces. Paperwindmill’s children’s theatre works seek to be artistic as well as educational. Reaching beyond conventional methods of storytelling, the troupe’s innovative productions combine elements of music, find arts, dance, and children’s literature with lighting, sound effects, and other theatrical techniques. With their unique vision and amalgamation of various styles, Paperwindmill presentations aim to catalyze the imagination, especially in children. Alternation between the traditional and modern arts, the company inspires children into the vast realms of imagination and artistic expression. It is hoped that, through Paperwindmill’s performances, audiences can become acquainted with the native character of children’s theatre in contemporary Taiwan.