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Little puppet over the sea,
when will you come back to me?
Road is far, the road is long,
but you will always hear my song.

Three turns left, three turns right
Little puppet be with me tonight

Little puppet over sea,
Do you still think of me?
The waves are big, the waves are strong
But you will always hear my song

Three turns left, three turns right
Little puppet be with me tonight

Little puppet over the sea,
Do you still love me?
Little puppet over the sea,
Please come back to me


This song represents the loneliness of the son who is left in the hell.
The son comforts his father by sining this song gentlely so the man is even more determined to reach his goal. As one of the main rhythms , this song stays in everybody’s head when they leave theatre.Moreover,the beautiful voice of Shih-Nun makes this melody unforgettable.

After the death of his wife in childbirth the man lives with his only son in the shadow of the loss of his wife. One night he feels the presence of his wife so intense, it is almost unbearable. This incident sets him off on a journey into the hell of his own soul: a desperate search of his loved one. Together with his child he makes a journey through the netherworld, meeting the god of the netherworld and many demons. After an arduous quest he meets his beloved wife, but cannot take her back; this must be his second , and final goodbye.

We are often told, first of all by the media but very often by ourselves that we are able to control and organize our life; but we can not.
Birth, death and love tell me this very clearly. I’m a creature that is born on this planet, this globe that turns around in its own rhythm. And no matter how quick I fly around the world in an air plane. I’m bound by the basic forces of life on earth. The talent of going beyond these boundaries is given only to a few people.

The ones that go beyond these boundaries are called heroes. In The Second Goodbye, the main character is such a hero. He is not accepting what we all one day may have to accept: your beloved one has died .And no matter how strong your love and passion might be, that person will never return.

In this music theatre co-production between the Netherlands and Taiwan we want to cross boundaries: cultures and countries and stage disciplines as well, to show the journey of our hero.

I know the deep desire of not wanting to give up a loved one who left me or a beloved one who die. But I am not daring and brave. I am not a hero that goes beyond the boundaries that exist in my life. I make The Second Goodbye a music theatre show about a hero that makes these intense choices.

He goes into the “unknown” because he has no other way but to follow the power of his passion and love

-----------Jos Van Kan , director

"A story of love that refuses to die with death…"
The Second Goodbye is modern music theatre performed with live music, actors, puppets and multi-media blending both European and Asian theatrical forms into a fascinating story about love and separation. Director Jos van Kan and a team of artists from the Netherlands and Taiwan have created this original play over a period of two years, mixing different cultures and styles in a multi-disciplinary performance.
The performance tells the story of a man with the difficult task to continue living after the death of a loved one. He bravely and desperately faces this challenge and tries to return his wife from the world of the dead, risking his own life and that of his child in the process. His spectacular journey through the underworld will bring us in touch with all aspects of the human condition: death, separation, loyalty, mourning, and cruelty, but also humour and the story of a love that refuses to die with death.

(from left :Urike Quade、father puppet、son puppet、Master Chen)

Chinese script/Performance Coordinator
Wu, Shanshan

Ms. Wu Shanshan studied and practiced performing arts and dance at the San Francisco Municipal Institute. She also attended Action Theatre improvisation courses with Ruth Zapora in Berkeley in U.S.A. Later she went to the Lassaad International Theatre School in Brussels Belgium, where she spent two years studying European performing systems, including Comedia del Arte, Greek tragedy, Mask performance and Clowning. Her mastery of body language, voice and expression had made one of the leading forces behind the performance. She is in charge of designing, script writing, directing and planning of the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company. At present she is also the director of the Nadou Theatre Company.

Light Design
Hong Guocheng
Hong guocheng is an instructor at National Taiwan College of Performing Arts, and technical director of Static Theatre and Deep Blue Arts Studio. He has been working in various theatre and festivals as stage directer, technical directer, light designer, dancer and music editor. He is dedicated in promoting the aesthetics of lights in dance, theatre, and in different spaces. Resent collaboration with contemporary choreographers include: Light, Breath, Body, Cross Light 1 1/2, The Tao of Light.

Puppet Master
Chen, Xihuang
The 77 year-old puppet master Chen Xihuang is the most celebrated puppeteer in Taiwan.
He started performing puppet theatre at the age of thirteen with his father, the famous puppeteer Li Tianlu. His great-grandfather was a teacher at the emperor’s court in Beijing. The master still lives in an apartment in his great grandfather's huge traditional mansion in Taipei.

Over a period of 60 years, Chen developed and improved the techniques of the traditional glove puppet theatre and raised it to unprecedented levels. He performed in over 30 countries around the world from Cambodia to Morocco; from the Royal Festival Hall in London to the countryside of Central America. His students now form the foundation for the future of traditional Taiwanese puppet theatre. His professional attitude and ability to interpret the large number of different characters in his repertoire is an enormous inspiration to all his collaborators and fellow artists.

In recent years, he applied his skills to more modern shows, which were a great success. His versatility, background and personality make him an outstanding performer in the world of Taiwanese puppet theatre, as well as a unique character in all of Taiwanese art

Marlijn Helder
Born 6th of May 1979 in Groningen, The Netherlands Started her pianostudy and composing at the age of 9. By the time she was 11, she was accepted for both piano and composition into the class for young talented children at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.During the years from then on, she studied with several composers at different schools, such as:Roderik de Man, Gilius van Bergeijk, Klaas de Vries, René Uylenhoet (electronical composition) and Theo Loevendie.

She won several first prizes during national competitions.Her works are performed all around the Netherlands as well as abroad in Russia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Latvia and Lithouania.During the past 6 years, Marlijn also worked with theatre.Since the past year she also started to write music for several filmprojects.

Ulrike Quade
A talented puppet-maker with magical hands

Ulrike Quade completed her studies at the theatre making department of the High School for the Arts in Utrecht specializing in puppetry in relation to movement and dance. She graduated in 1999 Cum Laude with a Masters in Art in Scenography. She studied puppetry in Japan with Hoichi Okamoto (Dondoro Theatre, 1997/98). In her work she combines physical with visual theatre. She has been nominated twice for the Anjerfonds Prize: for her solo Maanduisternis (Lunar Eclipse) and the location project《 Fell Out Of The Picture》
The production 《Silk》 (2001) was the first evening filling piece under the name Ulrike Quade. Silk is based on the book “Silk” of Alessandro Barrico. In that production Ulrike Quade worked together with Eduardo de Paiva Souza. After Silk Eduardo joined the company for the next two pieces. These shows were released under the name Quade & Paiva.
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Jos van Kan
An International Director
In 1987 Jos van Kan finished his study at the Academe voor Expressie in Utrecht (specialization movement analysis and notation, Rudolf von Laban).After his study he worked for some years as assistant-director with Ivo van Hove, Johan Simons, Dora van der Groen and others. But he continued studying and also followed, as a volunteer, the rehearsal-process of for instance Piere Audi (De Nederlandse Opera) and William Forsythe (Ballet Frankfurt).

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