Taiwanese Parent-Child Musical "Spring Where Is It" (春天佇佗位)

The album "Spring Where Is It" (春天佇佗位) was released in 2006, and the children who babbled along with its songs back then have now grown up. Over the years, "Spring Where Is It" has remained the first Taiwanese nursery rhyme many children learn. Fifteen years later, lyricist and composer Huang Ching-ya (黃靜雅) wondered, "Can 'Spring Where Is It' become a child's first Taiwanese storybook?" Thus, in 2021, the gentle, lively picture book "Spring Where Is It" was born, told in a mother's language. Besides featuring a new performance version and online musical story theater by original arranger Hsieh Han-yang (謝漢揚), it also invited renowned host Shao Ta-lun (邵大倫) and Chen La-la (陳啦啦), along with the mother-tongue education co-learning group "Hold the Child's Hand, Walk the Taiwanese Path" (牽囡仔ê手 行台語ê路), to participate in the recording. The following year, Chu Tou-pi Jazz Band (朱頭皮爵士樂團) included a jazz-rock version of "Spring Where Is It" on their album "Quarantine Empty Fridge" (防疫清冰箱), which was nominated for the 2022 Golden Melody Awards, marking the song's "coming-of-age ceremony at sixteen."

In 2023, driven by the eager wishes of devoted fans and picture book readers, Huang Ching-ya, like a piper, gathered like-minded professional theater experts. For the third time, music magician Hsieh Han-yang served as music director and arranger, once again magically transforming "Spring Where Is It" into a musical stage play. The production team's shared wish is to promote mother-tongue education step by step across Taiwan, accompanying every child as they grow, generation after generation, singing a happy spring in their native language.

Synopsis

Elementary school sister A-ya (阿雅) and younger brother A-chih (阿馳) are on spring break during the pandemic. At Grandpa's suggestion, their mother Hsiu-yun (秀雲) sends them to Grandpa's house in the mountains to avoid the outbreak.

The unstable internet in the mountains makes the siblings, who rely heavily on their phones, very uncomfortable. The bugs everywhere drive them crazy, and within a few days they want to take the train home themselves, leading to many hilarious misunderstandings. The bond between grandparents and grandchildren gradually builds through daily life. The siblings discover that Grandpa, who runs a grocery store, is like "Doraemon" (哆啦A夢)—capable of anything. Their uncle, who fixes plumbing, can actually write songs, and there's even a rock band of elderly uncles in the village. A girl with rosy cheeks and a sweet smile, "Apple Face" (蘋果臉), becomes their good friend and teaches them to appreciate the beauty of nature.

The tech-savvy siblings use social media to fulfill their uncle's dream of sharing his songs. They finally realize that only by putting down their phones can they see the true spring with their own eyes—happiness is all around them.

[Cast List]

Special Guest: Kuo Tzu-chun (郭姿君)

Performers: Liang Yu-wen (梁瑀芠), Chung Sheng-hsiang (鍾勝翔), Chen Shih-lin (陳詩霖), Lin Shu-cheng (林書丞), Yu Hsu Chih-pin (游許智斌), Yeh Ying-wen (葉盈彣), Hsieh Ping-i (謝冰儀), Huang Yun-chih (黃筠芝), Liu Pang-ching (劉邦靖)

Child Actors: Hsien-an Elementary School Main Campus and An-hu Branch (賢庵國民小學本校及垵湖分校)

[Organizer & Production Team]

Advisory Unit: Kinmen County Cultural Affairs Bureau (金門縣文化局)

Organizers: Lee Ming Institute of Technology (黎明技術學院), Forest Creation Tribe (森林劇落), Kinmen County Hsien-an Elementary School (金門縣賢庵國民小學)

Executive Producer: Huang Ching-ya (黃靜雅)

Producer: Sun Wen-kai (孫文凱)

Executive Director: Kuo Tzu-chun (郭姿君)

Lighting Design: Su Keng-li (蘇耕立)

Video Recording: Chang Chun-chung (張俊忠)

Dance Execution: Chen Pi-chu (Juicy) (陳碧珠)

Scriptwriter: Wu Shih-wei (吳世偉)

Directors: Wu Shih-wei (吳世偉), Chang Ching-chia (張擎佳)

Original Story, Lyrics, Composition, Taiwanese Language Guidance: Huang Ching-ya (黃靜雅)

Music Director, Arranger: Hsieh Han-yang (謝漢揚)

Taiwanese Language Consultant: Cheng Shun-tsung (鄭順聰)

Choreography: Chang Ching-chia (張擎佳)

Stage Design: Chao Yu-han (趙鈺涵)

Lighting Design: Hsieh Cheng-ta (謝政達)

Video Design: Lo Shih-hsiang (羅士翔)

Costume Design: Hu Che-cheng (胡哲誠)

Styling Design: Chen Chiung-fang (陳瓊芳)

Vocal Coach: Sun Wen-kai (孫文凱)

Key Visual: Huang Shih-ya (Lu-ya) (黃詩雅（鹿雅）)

Rehearsal Assistant: Tai Chia-hsi (戴嘉嬉)

[Spring Where Is It] Parent-Child Musical

Performance Venue/Time

Kinmen County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau Performance Hall (金門縣政府文化局演藝廳) (No. 66, Section 1, Huandao North Road, Chincheng Township, Kinmen County)

7/2 (Thu) 19:00 (Doors open at 18:30)

Admission: By ticket, no assigned seating

Forest Creation Tribe FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/f.creationtribe/
Forest Creation Tribe IG Fan Page: https://www.instagram.com/f.creationtribe/
For any inquiries, please contact Mr. Sun at 0920-177261