The Largest Theater Festival in Korea Unfolds at 'Bandochae Yongin'

'The 42nd Korea Theater Festival Yongin' Opens on the 28th
National Representative Theater Companies and University Plays to Perform for One Month

From the end of this month for one month, a theatrical festival that will cool down the hot summer will take place in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. It is the '42nd Korea Theater Festival Yongin,' the largest theater festival in Korea.

Co-hosted by Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, and the Korea Theater Association, and organized by the Korea Theater Festival Executive Committee and the Gyeonggi Branch of the Korea Theater Association, this event will feature about 2,000 participants including performing artists and staff, showcasing diverse stages across Yongin City from the 28th of this month to the 23rd of next month.

In particular, this festival is attracting attention not only from theater enthusiasts but also from citizens as it is the first time in 18 years since 2006 in Suwon that the event is held in Gyeonggi Province. Lee Sang-il, the festival chairman (Mayor of Yongin), said, "The power that enriches citizens' lives is culture and arts," adding, "We will do our best in preparation to present the highest-level Korea Theater Festival ever in Yongin."

16 Representative Theater Companies from Cities and Provinces Compete Fiercely... Korea University Theater Festival Also Held for the First Time

The Korea Theater Festival will begin its 26-day journey with a pre-event on the 27th and an opening ceremony at Yongin Poeun Art Hall on the 28th.

The highlight of the event is the 'main competition.' Representative theater companies confirmed through preliminary rounds in 16 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide will compete fiercely from the 29th to the 14th of next month at various venues in Yongin, including ▲Yongin Poeun Art Hall ▲Yongin City Cultural Center Cheoin Hall ▲Yongin Culture and Arts Center Maru Hall ▲Yongin Lifelong Learning Center Large Eoul Madang.

Especially, this year marks the first time the 'Korea University Theater Festival' will be held. Starting on the 16th of next month, 12 teams that advanced to the finals after preliminaries involving 48 teams will present youthful and fresh performances. Festival chairman Lee Sang-il said, "We have designed it as a festival where future theater artists leading Korean theater break down boundaries, interact, and grow together," emphasizing, "Yongin City will continue to hold the University Theater Festival to develop Yongin into a mecca of youth theater."

During the theater festival, an international collaborative stage will also be presented. On the 15th of next month at Yongin Lifelong Learning Center, Korean and Greek theater artists will perform Sophocles' play 'Antigone.'

Additionally, during the festival, a 'Networking Festival' where new theater groups nationwide exchange ideas, and the 'Yongin International Theater Forum,' inviting international theater festival planners and artistic directors, will be held.

Stages where citizens can directly participate are also prepared. From August 31 to September 9, the 3rd Korea Citizen Theater Festival, involving citizen theater groups and clubs nationwide, will be held at Yongin Culture and Arts Center Maru Hall for ten days.

"Eyes, Ears, and Mouths Are Delighted"... Various Side Events and Local Festivals Also Held

Various side events are also prepared during the theater festival.

During the 42nd Korea Theater Festival in Yongin, Yongin's representative local festival, the "Yongin Jungang Market Starlight Yard Night Market," will also be held.
[Photo by Yongin City]

At Yongin Gangnam Neighborhood Park outdoor performance hall, 'Art and Attractions' will be held featuring various cultural performances. At Yongin Poeun Art Gallery, an exhibition titled 'Korea Theater Artists Croquis Exhibition,' showcasing stories of Korean theater artists, will be available.

Recently declining traditional performance arts will also be staged. From the 28th of this month to the 14th of next month, the '1st Gyeonggi Yeonhui Festa!' will take place at the old Yongin Sports Complex and Gangnam Neighborhood Park.

Especially during the event period, Yongin’s representative summer festival, the 'Yongin Jungang Market Starlight Yard Night Market,' will also be held. From the 28th to the 30th, the night market at Yongin Jungang Market, the largest traditional market in Yongin, will offer various food and attractions, providing visitors with additional enjoyment.

Veteran and Mid-career Theater Artists United for 'Korea Theater Festival Yongin'

At the press conference for the "42nd Korea Theater Festival Yongin" held on the 11th at the Yongin Culture and Arts Center International Conference Room, event officials and ambassadors pledged the successful hosting of the event. Actors Park Haemi (from left), Lee Jaeyong, Executive Chairman Han Wonsik, actor Park Younggyu, Honorary Chairman Lee Sunjae, Chairman Lee Sangil (Mayor of Yongin), and actors Jung Hyesun, Baek Ilsup, Seo Inseok, and Lee Taewon.
[Photo by Yongin City]

This year’s Korea Theater Festival also stands out for the support gathered from Korea’s leading veteran and mid-career theater artists. Lee Soon-jae, a living legend in the theater world, serves as honorary chairman, and ten actors including Min Woo-hyuk, Park Young-gyu, Park Hae-mi, Baek Il-seob, Seo In-seok, Lee Jae-yong, Lee Jung-gil, Lee Tae-won, Jung Dong-jin, and Jung Hye-sun are serving as promotional ambassadors, working hard for the successful hosting of the event.

Honorary chairman Lee Soon-jae said, "In an era where even AI-made movies are emerging due to scientific advances," adding, "But theater is a space where AI can never perform on stage," and stated, "Through the Korea Theater Festival and the first-ever Korea University Theater Festival, Yongin City will become the center of our theater."

Actor Lee Jae-yong said, "Theater is the only art where people express life through actions in front of other people," and added, "I will work hard to support the success of the Korea Theater Festival Yongin."

The 16 Finalists Are

The works advancing to the finals after city and provincial preliminaries are ▲In and Yeon (Theater Company Domo, Gangwon) ▲959-7 Beonji (Theater Company Yuhok, Gyeonggi) ▲White Wave (Theater Company Beoksugol, Gyeongnam) ▲Mountain Outside Mountain Again (Cultural Creation Group Gongteo-Da, Gyeongbuk) ▲The Maids (Theater Culture Community DIC, Gwangju) ▲Peace (Theater Resistance Group Baekchideul, Daegu) ▲Stamp Please (International Theater Research Institute H.U.E, Daejeon) ▲Second Time (Theater Company Actor, Audience and Space, Busan) ▲Boy Spy (Performance Creation Studio Gonggan, Seoul) ▲96m (Theater Company Pureunggasi, Ulsan) ▲Return Home (Theater Company Taepung, Incheon) ▲Oasis Laundry Attack Incident (Theater Company Baekun Stage, Jeonnam) ▲Deok-i (Theater Company Haneul, Jeonbuk) ▲Project Ieodo - Two Islands (Art Space Oi, Jeju) ▲Opening the Secret Door (Theater Company Cheongyang, Chungnam) ▲Then, They, That House (Theater Company Cheongsa, Chungbuk).

Detailed performance information and ticket reservations can be found at 'Interpark Ticket' under '42nd Korea Theater Festival Yongin.' The ticket price for performances is 20,000 KRW.