"A Hit of Zen" is a cooperation between the actors/percussionists of U-Theatre and the performers of the Martial Arts Formation Centre affiliated to the Shaolin Temple of Songshan, Henan.

We assist to a paradoxical confrontation between the interiority of the musical approach of U-Theatre and very physical modes of expression of Kung Fu, two very different oriental traditions meet and fuse in this amazing journey to the Zen.

The U of U-Theatre is a phonetic transcription of a Chinese character meaning "superior, remarkable". In ancient China, this word was also used for "actors".

When actress Liu Ruo-yu created U-Theatre in 1987 and settle down on the Laochuan Mountain near Taipei, she knew that searching for "remarkable actors" would be both the cement and the driving force of her undertaking.

Since then, members of U-Theatre have been practicing Tai-chi daily, walking by day and performing at dawn in front of rural temples with local folk theatre actors.

Master drummer Huang Chih-chun joined the troupe in 1993 and started teaching meditation to other members. Together with Liu Ruo-yu, he combined drumming and theatre into something entirely new. Certainly made of theatre, dancing and singing, yet, definitely different from Chinese Opera.

The U-Theatre was the first troupe of professional full-time actors in Taiwan. It has toured in many Asian cities as well as in London, New York and Paris. But its favorite performance venue is still the Laochuan Mountain.

...We cannot but admire their performance.... Le Figaro

Availability: March 2008