Success is Within Your Palm

Taiwanese glove puppet theater, also known as Poo-Te-Hi, is one of the traditional crafts that has been passed down for centuries. With the evolution of theatrical forms and technological advances, traditional puppetry has gradually innovated to adapt to changing environments and the needs of the public while maintaining its artistic features. This play incorporates XR technology and, in line with the needs of the storyline, has developed an innovative concept of "Manipulating Virtual Puppets with Body Movements." A body puppetry system has been developed under the physical regulations of glove puppet, aiming to integrate technology with traditional puppetry. This allows performers to control virtual puppets in real-time through motion capture, conduct various improvisational performances, and display the virtual puppets through holographic projection.
"Interdisciplinary Performance of Future Glove Puppet: Success is Within Your Palm," adapted from the origin legend of glove puppetry, attempts to break with the traditional performance methods of puppetry. It presents a cross-domain performance featuring a three-party dialogue between physical actors, and virtual and physical puppets, combined with traditional Taiwanese opera to express the coexistence of traditional and emerging forms. Our goal is not to replace or reproduce Taiwanese glove puppet theater, but to present a different performance format using new technology. Performers manipulate virtual puppets through body movements, exploring the possibilities of human body performance within the limitations of puppet limbs. This also allows viewers to have new imaginations and understandings of traditional glove puppet theater.