Interdisciplinary Drama Program Showcase Opens at NCKU, Students Respond to Society and Culture Through Creative Works-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

In celebration of the 95th anniversary of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in 2026, the Interdisciplinary Drama Credit Program of the College of Liberal Arts presented its “Spring Semester 2025–2026 Joint Course Exhibition” under the theme “A Deep Dialogue Between Drama and Life.” Through theatrical creation, psychodrama performances, theater administration projects, and cross-cultural artistic presentations, the exhibition showcased students’ achievements in interdisciplinary learning and artistic practice. Breaking beyond the framework of traditional drama education, the exhibition integrated educational psychology, digital applications, and social issues, guiding students from classroom theory toward cultural practice and self-exploration while demonstrating the profound humanistic and social value of dramatic arts.

The joint exhibition highlighted interdisciplinary art and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) outcomes through field-based practice, psychodrama, and digital applications, integrating seven courses in total. These included “Topics in Drama Therapy and Performance” and “Drama Performance and Drama Therapy” taught by Professor Fang-Hui Chu; “Performing Arts and Arts Administration,” “Traditional Opera and Performing Arts,” “Film Art and Life,” and “Drama Appreciation” taught by Associate Professor Wei-Chien Ma; as well as “Digital Innovation and Transformation” taught by Associate Professor Chen-Hao Huang from the Department of Business Administration.

Centered on the spirit of “From the Stage to the Inner Self,” the exhibition combined theatrical creation, digital media art, role-playing, and psychodrama performances to present students’ interdisciplinary learning results and artistic practice. Through improvisation and rehearsals, students transformed real-life experiences into stage productions, demonstrating the important role of drama in personal growth, self-healing, and deepened dialogue. The exhibition also incorporated concepts of digital innovation and transformation through audiovisual production, digital media, and cross-media performances, highlighting the rich energy of NCKU’s interdisciplinary drama education in humanistic literacy, artistic cultivation, and innovative practice.

Among the featured events, the course “Performing Arts and Arts Administration” held its results presentation, Tso-Tsìn・Together・Zuojhen《作診・做陣・左鎮》 , at the Phoenix Theater of NCKU on the morning of May 26, 2026. Through drama, music, picture books, interactive design, and installation art, students presented the results of their fieldwork and local cultural practice conducted in Zuojhen, Neimen, and the Tainan Theological College and Seminary.

The performances were highly diverse. The event opened with a miniature Song Jiang Battle Array performance, followed by That Afternoon Which Could No Longer Be Remembered, a picture book creation by Department of Taiwanese Literature junior student Yen-Hsuan Hsiao inspired by the Song Jiang Battle Array tradition. Piano Weaving Siraya by graduate students Yu-Han Fang and Szu-Chi Chen reinterpreted Siraya cultural melodies through piano music. In Tabe, Good Morning Siraya, graduate student Yi-Chen Yang used “Tabe,” the Siraya word for “good morning,” together with gospel soul music to weave together the five major Siraya family names and local history into a musical tribute to the land.

In Guá tsin hó, I’m Fine., graduate student Ssu-Yu Lu created an interactive postcard design inspired by Dr. James Maxwell and a symbolic “little furball” figure. Meanwhile, The Adventure Journey of the Little Furball by drama graduate student Yi-Hsuan Hung featured handmade puppets of Dr. James Maxwell, recreating characters so that previously flat story figures could become visible and tangible. Graduate student Chi-En Cheng presented a “Pe̍h-ōe-jī Workshop《白話字工作坊》 ,” sharing a participatory theater project titled Faith Walked Through held at Tainan Theological College and Seminary on May 23, while also guiding audiences in writing Pe̍h-ōe-jī to rediscover language as a carrier of cultural memory. In Untying Emotional Knots, graduate student Pei-Chen Tsai used sensory interactive design to encourage audiences to reconsider history and interpersonal relationships.

Guests, faculty members, and students enthusiastically participated throughout the exhibition. The “Badlands Collaboration 3.0” team provided support and promotional assistance, Coach Wei-Chung Huang from the Sanping Community Development Association in Neimen, Kaohsiung, supplied Song Jiang Battle Array costumes and props, and graduate student Hung-Yu Yang assisted with stage administration and performance operations. Together, they demonstrated the practical integration of artistic collaboration, local engagement, and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

Associate Professor Wei-Chien Ma, convener of the Graduate Institute of Arts and the Interdisciplinary Drama Program at NCKU, stated that the exhibition broke through the boundaries of single disciplines, enabling students to transform classroom theory into concrete social applications and cultural practice. Through appreciation of both Eastern and Western drama and practice in traditional opera, students developed broader cultural perspectives, while theater administration and project planning courses cultivated operational and marketing integration skills directly connected to the future arts industry.

Professor Fang-Hui Chu of the Graduate Institute of Arts and Drama Master’s Program also incorporated psychodrama practice and educational psychology into her teaching, guiding students to transform authentic life experiences into stage scripts while deepening empathy and humanistic concern for society. Through this interdisciplinary joint exhibition, the program hopes to continue expanding students’ diverse practical abilities and to further establish performing arts as an important force connecting society, culture, and life experiences.