Taipei Performing Arts Centre
In the last five years, the world has seen a proliferation of performance centres that propose, according to a mysterious consensus, versions of a more or less identical combination: large (2,000-seat) auditorium, medium (1,500-seat) theatre, completed by a black box. Contemporary forms disguise conservative typologies: theatre configurations based on 19th century practice (and symbolism: balconies as evidence of social stratification). Even though the essential elements of the theater – stage, proscenium, auditorium – are more than 3,000 years old, there is no excuse for this stagnation, which is oblivious to experiment and ignores relevant 20th century innovation.