Guling Street Little Theater

The original site of the "Guling Street Little Theater" was a wooden structure in 1906, serving as a Japanese-style dormitory. In 1990, it was renamed the "Taipei City Government Police Department Zhongzheng Second Precinct". After the "Zhongzheng Second Precinct" relocated to a new space, and following several joint inspections by the Taipei City Government and cultural and artistic figures, it was decided that the site would be planned for use as an art theater. In October 1998, the "Zhongzheng Second Precinct Police Station Little Theater" was born, marking the first time an idle space was repurposed for cultural use. According to the "Cultural Heritage Preservation Act," the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, announced on April 8, 2014, that the space was designated as a "Historic Building" (government office). "Lights On, Show On" is another sight in the Guling Street area after dark. When there's a performance or event at the Little Theater, the red light above the main entrance, preserved from its police station days, lights up. In the past, because this building was once a police station, most citizens were reluctant to enter. However, after its transformation into a little theater, it has become a gathering place. Not only does it attract domestic and international creators, workers, and audiences during event periods, but whenever it's open, day or night, it draws curious local and international visitors to tour and leave messages, concretely demonstrating a rich and meaningful transformation of space. Body Phase Studio was founded in 1991 by Wang Mo-Lin, a pioneer of Taiwan's experimental theater. Since 2007, Yao Li-Chun has taken over as director. It is a non-profit arts group dedicated to cross-cultural exchange. Since its establishment, it has successively engaged in various experimental performing arts exchanges with artists from many countries around the world. For nearly thirty years, Body Phase Studio has explored and deliberated on the physical performances exhibited by different cultures from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Through creation and curation, it has gradually introduced aesthetic vocabularies constructed from multiple cultural and social contexts, enriching the foundation of Taiwanese theater art. Since 2005, entrusted by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, Body Phase Studio has been responsible for the operation and management of Guling Street Little Theater under the conditions of independent operation and self-sufficiency. The operating philosophy aims to carefully consider the impact and trajectory of the little theater within the overall cultural context, striving to foster the convergence, interaction, and voice of the zeitgeist, and to support new generation performing artists in developing innovative theater creativity, thereby demonstrating true cultural publicness. From the beginning, the operating team and its committee members, with their abundant curatorial capabilities, have planned a large number of hosted and co-hosted programs: performance art, performing arts by disabled persons, international performance connections, experimental films, cultural forums, and through different types and media such as theater publications, radiating outwards from Guling Street Little Theater as its base, making this alternative art space an internationally renowned center for theater creativity. Over the past nearly twenty years, Body Phase Studio has, under the premise of respecting historical culture, enriching urban life, and responding to social pulses, made the theater a new location where humanity and art symbiotically coexist. And with various implementation experiences and a sense of mission, the team completed a "health check" report for Guling Street Little Theater, and subsequently collaborated with the Department of Cultural Affairs to promote the investigation of historic buildings, continuing the maintenance and repair of the little theater's structure, ultimately leading to this former police station-turned-theater building being listed as a cultural asset.