COEX Artium Reopens as a Professional Performance Venue in December

Coex Artium auditorium seating view.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] Interpark Theater, a subsidiary of Interpark and a company specializing in theater operations, announced on the 22nd that it has secured the operating rights for Coex Artium (coexartium) located in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and will manage the theater for the next five years. Coex Artium is scheduled to reopen on December 10 after spatial and technical renovations, with the opening production selected as the musical "Fan Letter."

Coex Artium is a performance venue with excellent accessibility, connected to Exit 5 of Samseong Station on Subway Line 2, and benefits from the convenience facilities of the complex shopping mall Starfield Coex. Interpark Theater has made every effort to maximize these advantages.

First, a major change welcomed by production companies is the expansion of seating capacity. The original 775 seats have been significantly increased to 1,004 through structural modifications. The gap between the seats and the stage has been minimized, allowing the audience to experience the performance more closely.

Additionally, through mobile ticketing operations, audience members can conveniently issue mobile tickets on their phones without the need to print paper tickets on-site. This is part of preparations for the With-Corona era, aiming to establish the venue as a safe and smart theater.

The lobby where audiences stay has been redesigned from the conventional theater lobby style to a comfortable lounge atmosphere. The backstage environment has also been improved to provide a comfortable and stable production environment for actors and staff involved in performances.

The stage system has also been enhanced. A unified sound experience within the seating area minimizes acoustic blind spots, and an architectural reverberation time of less than one second ensures clarity. Compared to before, faster stage transitions and more efficient lighting environments and direction are now possible.

The opening production to grace Coex Artium’s stage is the well-made original musical "Fan Letter," running from December 10 to March 20, 2022. The musical is set during the 1930s Japanese colonial period, when freedom was suppressed, and centers on three characters: the genius novelist Kim Hae-jin, the aspiring novelist Jeong Se-hoon who admires him, and the mysterious genius female writer Hikaru. It captivatingly portrays the artistic spirit and love of literary figures devoted to pure literature.

Kim Yang-sun, CEO of Interpark Theater, stated, “By securing the operating rights for Coex Artium, Interpark Theater will operate another large theater with over 1,000 seats. We will continue to strive to provide audiences with a pleasant viewing environment for a special experience beyond everyday life, and to offer production companies a healthy and stable production environment.”