Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra Presents Yeosun Gamuakhee's 'Start Another Forest'

Commemorative Work for the Enactment of the Yeosun Incident Special Act, Depicting the Tragic Pain from 73 Years Ago

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] “If you torture the trees and even your green forest disappears, start another forest, start another forest.”

The Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra announced on the 26th that it will present the 2021 regular performance Gamugakhee ‘Start Another Forest’ at the Namdo Sori Ullimteo Performance Hall in Muan-gun, Jeonnam on the 3rd (7:30 PM) and 4th (5 PM) of next month.

This performance was produced to commemorate the enactment of the Yeosun Incident Special Act and serves as a requiem and mourning for the victims of the Yeosun Incident. It was prepared as a stepping stone to empathize with the suppressed grief of the bereaved families who have been forced into silence for 73 years.

The play begins with the monologue of an illegitimate son on the memorial day of his father, whom he has never seen. Through playful banter with the audience, pansori performance, tightrope walking, and storytelling, it depicts the turbulent political situation in South Korea after the August 15 Liberation Day.

In the sori play ‘An Uninvited Guest Came,’ the actual incident that occurred in a village in Suncheon in October 1948 is dramatized to portray the horrors of that day.

In the dance plays ‘Suicide of Memory’ and ‘Resurrection of Memory,’ non-verbal dance expresses a requiem for the dead and comfort for the living who were ostracized and isolated under the stigma of being subversive.

The composition of this work was done by Ryu Hyungseon, artistic director of the Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra, also well known as the composer of the movie ‘Homecoming’ OST ‘Gasiri.’ The direction was by Kim Jaewook, representative director of the performance creation group ‘Cultural Action Baram,’ the script was written by Kim Suhyeong, who authored many works including the pansori musical ‘Dreams of Chickens Fly’ and the pansori tragedy ‘The Sun and the Moon,’ and choreography was by Jeong Gilman, trainer of the National Dance Company.

Ryu Hyungseon, artistic director of the Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra, said, “The Yeosun Gamugakhee ‘Start Another Forest’ is merely a humble way to participate in the solidarity for the truth investigation and restoration of honor regarding the Yeosun Incident,” adding, “I hope this small movement will be the beginning of change, and I will fulfill my artistic mission so that this work can be staged every year on October 19 in Yeosu and Suncheon.”

To generate pre-performance response, the music video ‘Tear Flower,’ which contains the sorrow of the Yeosun Incident, will be pre-released at the end of this month through the Jeonnam Provincial Gugak Orchestra’s YouTube and Naver TV channels.

The Gamugakhee ‘Start Another Forest’ will be conducted safely in strict compliance with the quarantine and prevention guidelines recommended by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and tickets can be reserved by phone or through the online reservation site Ticketlink.