Taipei: A stage play that highlights Taiwan's diplomatic challenges will embark on a European tour starting Thursday and continuing into 2026, with performances scheduled in France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. "This is not an Embassy (Made in Taiwan)" is a Taiwanese-European co-production written and directed by Swiss-German director Stefan Kaegi, co-founder of the Rimini Protokoll theater company in Berlin.

According to Focus Taiwan, the play features three novice actors from vastly different backgrounds - retired Taiwanese diplomat David Wu, vibraphonist Debby Wang, and Chiayo Kuo, founder of the NGO Digital Diplomacy - and explores the diplomatic challenges Taiwan would face if it were to launch a new embassy, the Ministry of Culture said in a press release Tuesday. By doing so, the production seeks to prompt reflection on Taiwan's unique international status and its diplomatic efforts, the ministry said.

Kaegi stated that the work emerged from his conversations with Taiwanese diplomats, businesspeople, politicians, and semiconductor engineers during his seven-week residency at the National Theater in Taipei in 2022. In 2025, the production will be staged from Oct. 16 to 18 at Th© des C©lestins during the Festival Sens Interdits in Lyon, France; from Oct. 25 to 26 at the Teatro Astra during the Festival delle Colline Torinesi in Turin, Italy; from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 at the Spielart Festival in Munich, Germany; and from Nov. 6 to 7 at the Centre Dramatique National d'Orl©ans in Orl©ans, France, according to the ministry.

In 2026, performances are scheduled from Feb. 24 to 28 at Th© Vidy-Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, and from March 5 to 7 at Le Maillon in Strasbourg, France, the ministry said.