JOIN US IN BRINGING A NEW STORY ACROSS LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

A new play by Taipei Literary Award-winning playwright Kuo Chia-Wei, presented in collaboration with Studio Current and directed by emerging theatre director Sasha Tzu-Yin Hsu.

We invite you to become part of this creative journey and support a new story from Taiwan as it travels from a Mandarin script to an English stage, from Taiwan to the UK, and towards an international audience.

What is this about?

Set in 1866, the play follows Scottish physician Dr. Patrick Manson as he arrives in Formosa with an idealistic vision of transforming the island through modern medicine.

However, a medical error triggers social unrest and begins to shake his belief in his own mission.

Guided by a mosquito narrator who moves between the worlds of reality and magic, Manson embarks on a journey in search of the truth, confronting questions of cultural conflict, medical ethics, colonial history and encounters between different cultures.

We are raising £1,000 as our minimum funding target, primarily to fund the English translation of the play and support the playwright's creative and development fees.

This funding will help Drifting take an important step from Mandarin into English, allowing this story from Taiwan to enter the UK theatrical context and connect with a wider international audience.

Your support will help a new story cross the boundaries of language and culture.

WHO ARE WE?

Founded in 2024 and inspired by the idea of ocean currents, Studio Current is committed to working with emerging artists from Asia and the UK, creating a platform for artistic exchange across borders.

Like ocean currents that travel across different places and connect distant shores, Studio Current aims to create opportunities for artists from different cultural backgrounds to exchange ideas, develop new work and bring stories to new audiences.

An emerging theatre director and theatre artist from Taiwan, currently working in the UK.

Her artistic practice is rooted in physical theatre, intercultural performance and storytelling across cultures. I am interested in using movement, visual imagination and storytelling to create theatrical worlds that invite audiences to look at history, culture and identity from different perspectives.

OUR STORY

What happens when you arrive somewhere believing you can change it, only to gradually realise that you do not fully understand the world you have entered?

Through this strange and imaginative journey, Drifting explores:

• Cultural conflict
• Medical ethics
• Colonial history and cultural encounters
• Different understandings of knowledge
• The relationship between humans and nature
• The consequences of trying to change a society we do not fully understand

Drifting is not simply a retelling of history.

Instead, we use theatrical imagination to create a world where history, reality and magic intersect.

The presence of the mosquito narrator allows us to look at this history from a non-human perspective, inviting audiences to question:

• Whose voices are heard?
• Whose knowledge is valued?
• And who has the authority to decide what is true?
• And perhaps most importantly:If we truly want to understand another world, do we first need to question our own assumptions?

WHY YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

Drifting is a brand-new play from Taiwan that will have its world premiere in the UK. But before this story can enter the UK theatrical landscape, it must first cross an important boundary:

Language.

To allow the work to enter the UK theatre-making environment and connect with English-speaking audiences, we need a high-quality English translation that respects both the dramatic qualities of the text and its cultural context.

Your support will help us to:

• Fund the English translation of the play
• Support the playwright's creative and development fees
• Further develop the English-language version of the script
• Create a foundation for future rehearsals, readings and performances
• Open up possibilities for the work's future development in the UK and internationally

We believe that the development of a new play should begin by valuing and supporting the people who create it.

Your contribution will therefore directly support: The playwright, and the translation process that allows this story to cross languages.

where will the money go?

We want every donation to be used clearly and meaningfully towards the development of the work.

Our minimum target will primarily be used for:

• English translation of the script: £300
• Playwright's creative and development fee: £700
• £1000 is the minimum amount we need to take this important first step.

rewards for our supporters

To thank everyone who supports Drifting, we have prepared a special reward.

Every donor will receive:

• A personalised thank-you card from the Drifting team
• One ticket to any performance of Drifting

We hope that our supporters will not only help bring this new work to life, but also have the opportunity to come to the theatre and witness Drifting as it moves from the page to the stage.

Whatever the size of your contribution, every donation will become an important part of this new work's journey.

FIND US HERE

Follow us throughout the fundraising and production process:

Instagram: @studiocurrentuk

Follow us to find out how we're doing!

HELP US SUCCEED!

You don't have to donate to help make Drifting happen. One of the most powerful ways you can support us is simply by: Sharing this project.

Please share our campaign with your friends, colleagues, fellow artists, theatre lovers, and anyone who might be interested in Taiwanese stories, history, new writing or intercultural theatre.

You can share it on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp or by email — or simply tell someone about it. Every share could help us reach a new supporter.

And, of course, if you are able to make a donation, we would be incredibly grateful.

Give a playwright's words the opportunity to be heard by new audiences.

Bring Drifting to UK audiences.

And lay the foundation for the play's world premiere and future international development.

Help us bring a new story to life.

Help us make Drifting happen.

Thank you for becoming part of this journey.