'Aiming for a Sustainable Festival for the Environment and Earth
Over 50 Works Presented Across Uijeongbu Until the 18th'
[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] The 21st Uijeongbu Music Theater Festival will showcase various genres of music theater from the 10th to the 18th under the theme "Music Theater in the Streets, Singing the Earth" at the Uijeongbu Arts Center and various locations throughout Uijeongbu city.
In particular, this festival aims to be a sustainable event that raises environmental awareness for future generations and encourages small actions on issues such as carbon neutrality, energy transition, and the climate crisis.
With the introduction of a new festival system, four directors were appointed to enhance expertise through collaboration in each field: So Hong-sam as the festival's general director, Jang So-young (music director), Shin Hye-won (street art director), Ahn Sun-hwa (environmental art director), and Jeong Heon-young (sustainability director).
The music director and street art director plan to preserve the identity of the music theater festival with programs suitable for each location while attempting new changes in the outdoor spaces that serve as the main stages of the festival.
The festival opens with a performance by 'Yusangtong Project,' Korea's first environmental performance group, and 50 citizen participants playing the 'Junk Orchestra' using recycled materials.
The festival's opening is marked by the 'Song of Hope' performed by world-renowned opera singer Paul Potts, who has become a symbol of hope with his moving voice, alongside the Korea Modern Philharmonic.
The 'Junk Orchestra' recruits and selects 50 citizen participants who spend about two weeks creating and playing instruments made from trash objects, culminating in a joint stage with the 'Yusangtong Project.'
At the Uijeongbu Art Camp Black Box Theater, new and experimental music theater performances enrich the festival.
The 'Future, City' (June 10) by the Space Mind Project is an audience participation performance that collects graffiti-like drawings created by the audience.
It invites light yet profound ontological imagination about the future our society will face.
'Giant Angalo' (June 12), a dancing music theater co-produced by the National Asia Culture Center Foundation and the creative gugak group Geurim (The林), with participation from the contemporary dance troupe Goblin Party, encourages reflection on peaceful coexistence between humans and nature.
There is also 'What Season Does the New Year Begin In?' (June 16) by Blue Sea, a participatory children's musical puppet show combining live music, moving pictures, various puppets, and magical elements.
The nine-day festival concludes with illusionist Lee Eun-gyeol's comprehensive media performance 'Riverboard,' which tells the story of Jeong Ho-seung's poem 'For the Whale' through digital (VR) and analog giant puppets.
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