October 28 to November 8 at Namsan Arts Center
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture's Namsan Arts Center will stage "The Story of Wang Seogae" (written by Kim Do-young, directed by Lee Jun-woo), co-produced with the theater company Baeda, from October 28 to November 8.
"The Story of Wang Seogae" is set in post-war 1950s Japan and deals with the stories of war criminals and their victims. The play begins as 'Wang Seogae,' who lost her family and changed both her name and nationality, meets the perpetrators to uncover the truth she has kept buried for 21 years. This journey of meeting the perpetrators is both a long-suppressed revenge and a process to obtain the truth.
Playwright Kim Do-young said, "I want to talk about what kind of revenge one would take when the moment to take revenge comes, how Japan would apologize when the moment to apologize arrives, and how we, living in Korean society, would empathize with 'Wang Seogae' through this play."
Kim Do-young is recognized as a next-generation playwright who explores humanity through history with works such as "Night of Crystal" (2019), "Six Years in Musun" (2018), and "I Am a Dog" (2017). "The Story of Wang Seogae" combines historical facts with the playwright’s imagination, embodying Kim Do-young’s ongoing exploration of "restoring humanity through the past." From its early draft stage, the play was praised as "a work with sharp writing and detailed observation of survivors affected by the whirlpool of history."
"The Story of Wang Seogae" was selected for "Please Take Care of the Draft," a 2018 contest for unpublished original plays, and developed through the 2019 reading performance "Searchlight" for unfinished scripts. This year, it has become part of the Namsan Arts Center’s season program.
Rather than showing the cruelty, inhumanity, and tragic consequences of the perpetrators, "The Story of Wang Seogae" focuses on the personal stories of survivors through Wang Seogae’s journey of revenge as she meets the perpetrators one by one.
Director Lee Jun-woo said, "I hope this performance will allow audiences to reflect on and think about the emotions of sharing others’ pain." Lee Jun-woo has collaborated on multiple works with Kim Do-young and has pondered why war criminals do not repent and what drives human evil.
The performances on November 6 at 7:30 p.m. and November 7 at 3 p.m. will be presented as "Barrier-Free" shows, providing text and sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired and audio description for the visually impaired. For text interpretation, audiences can watch the performance with subtitles at seats equipped with dedicated devices by applying in advance. The sign language interpreter will be positioned on stage, visible from all seats. Hearing-impaired patrons can book tickets via the reservation website or by text message, and phone reservations (02-758-2150) are available for both visually and hearing-impaired audiences. Wheelchair-accessible seats for physically disabled patrons are available for all performances.
Coinciding with the opening, a script book will be published. Since 2016, Namsan Arts Center and Eum Publishing have been releasing the Eum Play Series. The Eum Play Series edition of "The Story of Wang Seogae" is available at bookstores and can also be purchased on-site at Namsan Arts Center during the performance period. Tickets for "The Story of Wang Seogae" can be reserved through the Namsan Arts Center and Interpark Ticket websites.
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