Theatrical Stage After 9 Years: "Acting in Film and Theater Is Not Different"
"Playing the Pure and Innocent 'Sinbyeong' Role, Wondering If Tarnished Me Can Act"
“The character of the ‘new recruit’ is emotionally very clear and pure, unlike the roles I have played so far, so I wondered if someone as worldly as me could portray him.”
On the 27th, actor Son Seok-gu, who attended the press conference for the play Army on the Tree held at LG Arts Center Seoul U+ Stage in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, shared his feelings about returning to the theater stage after a long time. He shed the intense villain image that left a strong impression on audiences in works like Crime City and took on the role of a fresh rookie soldier.
On the 27th, at the LG Art Center Seoul in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, director Min Saerom is answering questions from the press at the press conference for the play "Army on the Tree." [Image source=Yonhap News]
This production marks his return to the theater stage after about nine years. He reunited on stage with actress Choi Hee-seo, who had previously pooled their own money to rent a small theater on the outskirts of Daehangno. Choi, who plays the role of the ‘woman’ in the play, said, “Son Seok-gu contacted me to join the project, and I thought it was both fun and meaningful, so I decided to participate. We used to perform together in a 50-seat small theater, so I feel very grateful to be on such a large stage now.”
The play is set in Okinawa, Japan, in April 1945, near the end of the Pacific War. It is based on the true story of two soldiers who hid and lived in a tree for about two years until March 1947, unaware of Japan’s defeat. It deals with the conflict between the ‘superior officer,’ who was forced into a life-risking resistance called ‘okkusai’ but hid in the tree out of fear of death, and the ‘new recruit,’ who lived with him in doubt, unaware of the truth. The original work was written by the late Inoue Hisashi, a master of Japanese literature well known in Korea for his novel I Am a Dog. After Inoue passed away during the writing process, playwright Horai Ryuta took over and completed it, with its premiere in Japan in 2013.
From the left in the photo, Son Seok-gu as 'Shinbyeong' and Choi Hee-seo as 'Woman' [Image source=Yonhap News]
The historical scars embedded in the play’s background are sublimated into a pain experienced by all modern people. It does not present the pain of Okinawa, which was an independent country but treated as second-class citizens under Japanese rule and suffered the massacre of 100,000 to 150,000 civilians caught in the whirlpool of war, in a documentary style. Director Min Sae-rom explained, “Even if you don’t know the necessary information (historical background), it deals with universal human beings,” adding, “It talks about humans who fight battles in every corner of their daily lives.” Son Seok-gu also said, “Even if you remove the war and military aspects from the play, something remains,” and “I think everyone has experienced situations at home or work where they just have to trust and follow. Because everyone believes they are right, they cannot even fight... It was a topic I had never dealt with in drama, so I found it very interesting.”
The mysterious atmosphere added to the character of the ‘woman’ is for this reason. The Japanese original emphasizes the resentment of Okinawa through local folk songs, but since this context is not shared in the domestic performance, the ‘woman’ is portrayed as a symbol and narrator encompassing the pain of war. It is a device to draw out each audience member’s own story, even without knowing the context. To emphasize this narrative attribute, the stage was designed with a smooth plywood background and a large circle. Director Min said, “We didn’t want to create a stage that only emphasized the jungle-like naturalness. We wanted to highlight something that you can only understand if you are on someone’s palm.” In front of the original background, a ‘Gajumaru’ tree, which can grow up to 20 meters, was placed.
Son Seok-gu, playing the role of 'new recruit,' and Lee Do-yeop, playing the role of 'superior,' are performing. [Photo by LG Art Center]
Since understanding the context is essential, inner acting is the core of the play. Actors Kim Yong-jun and Lee Do-yeop, who play the superior officer, have long theater experience, but Son Seok-gu as the new recruit and Choi Hee-seo as the woman returned to the stage after a long time. Although adjustments might have been necessary, Son denied such a need. He said, “I was curious about how my film acting style would translate to theater, but film and theater were not different,” and “When asked what’s different between Crime City and Army on the Tree, it’s just that the stories are different.” Director Min praised his acting, saying, “His approach to psychological changes and movement was very detailed to me, who is used to stage acting,” and “I thought the stage space might be a limitation, but rather, it created a diverse picture that looks like a single painting.”
Army on the Tree will run until August 12 at LG Arts Center Seoul.
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