The Grand Percussionist

Yung-Tuan Ku received a grant to develop a theatre performance in collaboration with Che-Sheng Wu. Fuelled by 20 years' experience as classical musicians, Yung-Tuan and Che-Sheng reveal competition, hierarchical structures and very unequal power dynamics. And they endure all these hardships because, in the end, they want what everyone really wants: to be seen and heard. With loud drums and intensely intimate scenes, these two performers give you a chance to see into their vulnerable minds. How did they fight their way to the top and how many bruises did they have to earn? And why do they choose to keep quiet when they see superiors abusing their power?

The Grand Percussionist is a percussion theatre collective founded by Yung-Tuan Ku and Che-Sheng Wu. Both are Taiwanese-Dutch percussionists, performers and theatre makers based in Amsterdam. They share similar backgrounds and experiences from their upbringing and cultural integration. Yung-Tuan and Che-Sheng aim to develop and promote percussion theatre as a powerful form of musical expression, covering everything from serious social and political statements to light-hearted and humorous incidents.