[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] In the 41st Seoul Theater Festival's 'One-Act Play Contest,' writer Kim Ji-seon's work "Gumeong" (Hole) was selected as the winning piece, and writer Kim Hee-yeon's "Aksel" was chosen as the runner-up.
The one-act play contest was organized to support Seoul theater artists continuing their work amid the challenging environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to discover fresh new writers, thereby revitalizing domestic original plays.
The Seoul Theater Festival Executive Committee accepted submissions from April 10 to May 15, receiving a total of 133 entries.
The winning work "Gumeong" portrays the cracks in the protagonist's life caused by an unknown reason.
Writer Kim Ji-seon expressed joy, saying that "Gumeong" holds an especially precious meaning as it was created alongside the birth and growth of her child. "'Gumeong' was written when my child was kicking inside my womb, and after revising it around the time my child was two years old, jumping and playing, I submitted it. The fact that this work, which accompanied my child's birth and growth, won the award means a great deal to me. In 'Gumeong,' I wanted to capture the resilient beauty unique to humans who overcome sorrow, continue life, and extend their existence. When my son can read, I want to tell him, 'Here, there is a hole, but we are strong and beautiful here.'"
The judges unanimously selected it as the winning work, praising it as "a rare masterpiece that highlights the writer's worldview on the sorrow of loss and expresses theatrical metaphors in a universal language."
The runner-up "Aksel" depicts the final moments of young men and women who, due to private loans, are forced to commit insurance fraud risking their lives. The judging panel commented that it is "a work that reveals the aesthetics of one-act plays." Writer Kim Hee-yeon shared her thoughts, saying, "With 'Aksel,' my first play, I feel a strange excitement at being able to attach the word 'first' at the age of 47."
The works of these two new writers will be featured in the July issue of the monthly magazine "Korean Theater."
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