Igeonmyeong and Kim Sohyang to Host Opening Ceremony
Record Participation from 7 Countries Including France and the US
The 18th Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) will grandly open on the 22nd at the Kolon Outdoor Music Hall in Dalseo-gu, Daegu, with an 'Opening Ceremony & Celebration Performance' featuring the top musical actors in Korea. The opening ceremony and celebration performance, starting at 6:30 PM, will be recorded and broadcast on KBS1 on the 29th.
The ceremony will be hosted by Lee Geon-myeong, who has appeared in 'Turandot,' 'Frankenstein,' and 'Aida,' and Kim So-hyang, the Best Actress winner at the 13th DIMF Awards and a performer in 'Excalibur,' 'Marie Antoinette,' and 'Frida.'
Top musical actors and next-generation musical stars such as Choi Jung-won, Michael Lee, Shin Young-sook, Jung Dong-ha, Enoch, Yoo Hoe-seung, and Yoo Tae-yang will present a fantastic live stage.
The modern rock band 'Monni' will open the ceremony’s first stage, followed by Shin Young-sook performing 'Rebecca,' the representative number of the musical 'Rebecca,' as Mrs. Danvers. Enoch, who played the lead role 'Maxim de Winter' in the 10th-anniversary performance of 'Rebecca,' will sing Maxim’s signature song 'God.' Choi Jung-won, currently performing as 'Velma Kelly' in 'Chicago' at the D-Cube Arts Center in Seoul, will passionately sing 'All That Jazz,' the representative number of 'Chicago.'
Additionally, Michael Lee, who has been active in 'Something Rotten,' 'Hedwig,' and 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' Jung Dong-ha, the 11th DIMF Best Actor who starred as the male lead in DIMF’s representative musical 'Turandot' and appeared in 'Dracula' and 'Jack the Ripper,' and top-tier musical actors Yoo Tae-yang from idol group SF9 and Yoo Hoe-seung from N.Flying will splendidly decorate the opening ceremony & celebration performance.
French musical actor Laurent Ban, who has played lead roles in major French musicals such as 'Notre-Dame de Paris' and 'Napoleon' during their Korean tours and has a solid fan base in Korea, will also visit DIMF this year to brighten the opening ceremony stage.
Moreover, Lee Joo-chan, winner of the 10th Musical Star Award, and Jo Hwan-ji and Kim Jong-heon, the leads of 'Missing Link,' a joint ambitious production by Daegu Municipal Theater Company and DIMF, will present representative numbers from their works. The team of 'Prince War,' which won the DIMF Original Musical Award last year and returns this year as an official invited work, including Seo Beom-seok, Hong Geum-dan, Min Si-yoon, Kim Dong-hyung, and Lim Dong-joo, will also have a stage.
The 18th DIMF will run until July 8, performing a record 25 productions at venues including Daegu Opera House and Ayang Art Center. The festival features 9 official invited works showcasing excellent productions from around the world, 6 new musicals supported by creation grants, 9 university musical festival works, and 1 special performance. This year, DIMF will host a record participation from 7 countries including France, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The opening work is the French jukebox musical 'Holiday,' based on about 20 songs by Madonna, which will be performed 5 times from the 21st to the 23rd at Daegu Opera House.
The closing works are the Chinese musical 'Bi Cheon' and the American musical 'Singin' in the Rain.' 'Bi Cheon' tells the story of a guardian protecting the Dunhuang murals in China and will be performed 3 times on July 6-7 at Ayang Art Center. 'Singin' in the Rain,' based on the 1952 film of the same name starring Gene Kelly (released in Korea as 'Love Rides the Rain'), will be performed 4 times from July 4-6 at Daegu Opera House.
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