16 Finalist Works Compete... 1st Korea University Student Theater Festival Also Held
Yisangil, Mayor of Yongin, "Theater Condenses Dreams That Move People"
'The 42nd Korea Theater Festival Yongin,' the greatest festival in the South Korean theater world, opened on the 28th at Poeun Art Hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
Lee Sang-il (center), mayor of Yongin, the host city of the Korea Theater Festival, is giving a greeting at the opening ceremony on the 28th. [Photo by Yongin City]
Under the theme "Theater, Dreaming of a Renaissance," this event will feature a variety of performances presented by theater artists and university theater students across Yongin, as well as theater stages involving citizen participation, running until the 23rd of next month.
The opening ceremony was attended by Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin and chairman of the theater festival; Son Jeong-woo, organizing committee chairman (Chairman of the Korea Theater Association); Han Won-sik, executive committee chairman (Chairman of the Gyeonggi Branch of the Korea Theater Association); Jeon Byeong-geuk, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and Jeong Byeong-guk, Chairman of the Korea Arts Council. The festival ambassadors, actors Jeong Hye-seon, Seo In-seok, Park Hae-mi, Lee Jae-yong, and Lee Tae-won, also participated.
During the opening ceremony, a moment of silence was held to mourn the victims of the fire accident at the Arisel factory in Jeongok-ri, Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong City, which occurred on the 24th. Mayor Lee Sang-il said, "The greatest force that moves humans is dreams, and such dreams are the driving power of theater," adding, "Watching the works of the Korea Theater Festival, which contain the dreams, individuality, and imagination of theater artists, will also be a time to reflect on the meaning of life."
Mayor Lee also stated, "One of the important elements to enrich the lives of Yongin citizens, who are poised to become a global semiconductor hub city, is culture and the arts," and added, "We will strive to enrich citizens' lives through diverse cultural events, including the theater festival."
The opening ceremony, attended by about 1,000 spectators, began with the monodrama Wolhwa, which tells the story of Lee Wol-hwa, the first actress in Korea in the 1920s. The choir, composed of the Yongin City Boys and Girls Choir, Little Yongin, Iryuk Musical Company, and Kids Dongtan, performed "Beautiful Rivers and Mountains" accompanied by the dance movements of the Yongin Performing Arts Research Institute, receiving great applause from the audience. The event concluded with the total play Cheorinseong, based on the historical background of General Kim Yun-hu's victory in 1232, when he shot and killed the Mongol general Salitai with an arrow at Cheorinseong Fortress.
On the 28th, at Yongin Poeun Art Hall in Yongin City, the performance team held a pre-event at the opening ceremony of the "42nd Korea Theater Festival Yongin." [Photo by Yongin City]
The 16 works selected for the Korea Theater Festival Yongin finals will be showcased from the 29th until the 14th of next month at the following venues: Yongin Culture and Arts Center Cheorin Hall, Yongin Culture and Arts Center Maru Hall, Yongin Lifelong Learning Center Large Hall, and Yongin Poeun Art Hall.
Additionally, during the Korea Theater Festival, the "Korea University Theater Festival" will be held for the first time, proposed by Mayor Lee Sang-il. After preliminaries with 48 teams, 12 teams advanced to the finals and will compete from the 16th until the closing day of the festival on the 23rd. Mayor Lee announced plans to hold the Korea University Theater Festival annually in Yongin starting this year.
Various side events have also been prepared. The "Networking Festival," featuring performances embodying the experiments and challenges of emerging theater artists, will be held from the 8th to the 14th of next month at the Yongin Poeun Art Hall Grand Theater. On the 15th of next month, the joint Korean-Greek performance Antigone will be presented at the Lifelong Learning Center Large Hall. This work is by Sophocles, the famous ancient Greek tragedian.
Furthermore, on the 28th of next month, a 100-person discussion forum for the development of Korean theater will take place, and from August 31 to September 9, the "3rd Korea Citizen Theater Festival" is scheduled.
Son Jeong-woo, organizing committee chairman, said, "I applaud the theater artists who have made great efforts to participate in the Korea Theater Festival," and added, "I believe that the cultural and artistic revival starting in Yongin will spread throughout Korea."
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