Today is National Wig-Out Day: 10 facts about wigs They’ve been around since ancient  Egypt . Ancient Egyptian fashion was for pe...

In today's show: - President Lai Ching-te Makes Delayed State Visit to African Ally Eswatini - US Senator, Analysts Warn of Threats to Taiwan's Undersea Cables - Analysis: Challenges and Opportunities in Building Up Taiwan's Drone Capabilities - Taiwan's Naval Goodwill Fleet Docks in Guatemala - Japanese Kabuki Wigmakers in the Spotlight After Oscar Nod

Currently, SRT is partnering with Roustabouts to produce Noel Coward’s Private Lives. This arrangement is not unusual, and area theatres often share set designers, props, wigmakers. (Eva Trieger)

Traditional wigmakers in Japan are drawing renewed attention after a kabuki-themed film earned an Oscar nomination for best makeup and hairstyling. In Tokyo, fourth-generation wigmaker Kamoji Tadashi continues a decades-old craft. Veteran performers say the transformation is incomplete without these creations.|Putting on the finishing touches, 60-year-oldwig maker Kamozi Tadashi places his latestcreation onto kabuki actor Nakamura Tanenosuke.The smooth top knot, known as a mage, wasa status symbol in the Edo period, and nowtransforms this young performer intoa sumo wrestler from times past.A kabuki actor just can't walk ontostage as he is and be a kabuki actor.It's only when he dons the wig thathe truly becomes a kabuki actor.This key part of kabuki, a traditionalJapanese theater art, has gained attentionafter a film about kabuki actors, Kokuhou, wasnominated for the Oscars in best makeup andhair styling this year.Kabuki is known for its dramatic makeup,colorful costumes, and all-male cast.In kabuki, wigs are made to express the socialstatus, jobs, and personality of all sorts ofcharacters, from noble womento villains and comedians.And the wigs bring more thanjust a physical transformation.I believe it is an art form.While the audience sees the actor as a humanbeing, the wig is an absolute necessity forthe character that the actor is portraying.Kamozi is a fourth-generation wigmaker, also known as a tokoyama.He says he feels a sense of pride in helpingmake the key element that draws audiences intothe performance.When the actor goes on stage and receivesshouts or praise or loud applause, it makesme feel that our wig perhaps suited the actor.I very much feel a sense of joy in that.Over four decades, Kamozi has honed histokoyama skills from his family, transforminghundreds of kabuki performers into their roles,and he hopes to keep learning more as hecontinues to make even morecreations for the stage.Easton Chen and Tiffany Wong for TaiwanPlus.