Announcement of 13 Performances for Next Year: "We Will Lead the Performance Market Trends"
[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] "Among next year's lineup, I hope the collaboration work with Universal Ballet Company goes well and continues. Universal Ballet Company has mainly worked on large-scale ballets, so we thought a lot about how to invite them to a small theater like Jeongdong Theater. I also visited Director Moon Hoon-sook and invited her to the theater, persistently asking."
Jeongdong Theater is introducing a season system for the first time in its 25 years since opening. On the 11th, Kim Hee-cheol, CEO of Jeongdong Theater (pictured), announced a total of 13 performances in next year's lineup at a press conference. The lineup includes one ballet, two plays, three musicals, two concerts, and three regular performances by the Jeongdong Theater Arts Troupe.
The Universal Ballet Company will perform the classic ballets "Swan Lake" and "The Sleeping Beauty" as a chamber series from September 10 to 12 and 17 to 19 next year. CEO Kim said, "Since it is a small theater, we have to express with a limited number of dancers and music, but I believe a unique classic ballet of Jeongdong Theater will be created," and expressed expectations, adding, "I hope to develop small theater ballets with Universal Ballet Company in the future."
At the press conference, musical actors Jung Young-joo and Yang Jun-mo, and Universal Ballet Company Deputy Artistic Director Yoo Ji-yeon, who are the main figures of next year's Jeongdong Theater lineup performances, also participated. Jung Young-joo and Yang Jun-mo participated not as actors but as producers (PD) and artistic directors, respectively.
Jung Young-joo will mark the beginning of next year's Jeongdong lineup performances. She will participate in the musical "Bernarda Alba" from January 22 to March 14. It is a proven hit. It premiered in 2018 and sold out all performances. It won the Small Theater Musical Award at the 3rd Korean Musical Awards and also earned Jung Young-joo the Best Actress Award.
Another proven one-person play, "Repairing the Living," which also sold out all performances since its premiere last year, will be performed from June 1 to 27 next year. It is based on the bestselling novel by French author Maylis de Kerangal and won the French Moli?re Award for one-person plays.
Original works will also be staged. The musical "For Minutes" is a stage adaptation of the 2006 film of the same name by German writer and film director Chris Kraus. It tells the story of two women whose lives revolve entirely around the piano. Jeongdong Theater is producing it, with Yang Jun-mo participating as artistic director. It is scheduled to be performed from April 7 to May 23.
Yang Jun-mo will also serve as the host of the brunch concert "Jeongdong Palette," held every last Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m. from March to October next year. Yang Jun-mo will host four of the eight sessions, and the remaining four will be hosted by conductor Geum Nan-sae.
Jeongdong Theater has also officially launched the Jeongdong Theater Arts Troupe, composed of 10 dancers and 6 percussionists, and plans to perform "Sinawi, 夢," "Bounce," and "Sochundaeyuhee (tentative title)."
Until last year, Jeongdong Theater presented traditional regular performances targeting foreign tourists. CEO Kim Hee-cheol said, "Since we only performed for foreign tourists, the theater became forgotten by many domestic culture enthusiasts," and ended the traditional regular performances last year.
Regarding the introduction of the season system, CEO Kim said, "It is an effort to lead the change of Jeongdong Theater," and pledged, "As a national theater, we will strive to lead the ever-changing performance market trends and meet the diverse demands of the audience."
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