Sejong Center S Theater 10 Productions 27 Performances
First Overseas Invitation Work 'Blind Runner' June 18-21
‘Sync Next 24,’ a program by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts introducing experimental and innovative contemporary art, will open on the 5th. This year, Sync Next 24 will present 10 works in 27 performances over two months at the Sejong Center’s S Theater until September 8.
Sync Next 24 began in 2022 with the motto of ‘a meeting between leading artists of the era and the black box theater (a theater where seating can be freely arranged to create various stage settings).’ Now in its third year, it will feature an international invited work for the first time. The Iranian-born playwright and director Amir Reza Koohestani’s play Blind Runner will be performed four times from the 18th to the 21st.
Blind Runner is based on the true story of Iranian journalist Niloufar Hamedi and her husband, who covered the 2022 Iranian ‘Hijab protests (Mahsa Amini protests).’ Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died under suspicious circumstances after being arrested by the morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. The play highlights the history of Iranian citizens’ struggles through this incident, depicting the 1979 Islamic Revolution against state corruption, economic instability, and oppressive regimes, the 2009 Green Movement, and the 2022 Hijab protests. At the same time, it emphasizes the realities and hardships of refugees who must flee authoritarian regimes or poverty caused by unstable countries, raising questions about the moral responsibility and ideals of the state. Blind Runner is performed in Persian with Korean subtitles.
Director Koohestani will visit Korea for the first time for this performance. He is scheduled to participate in a ‘Talk with the Audience’ after the performance on the 19th. After the performance on the 20th, a lecture will be held where Professor Koo Ki-yeon from Seoul National University’s Asia Center and Turkish journalist Alpago Sinaci will discuss current issues in the Middle East and Europe as depicted in the work, exploring its sociocultural background from multiple perspectives.
Blind Runner premiered in May last year at the Kunsten Festival in Belgium, known for its avant-garde and experimental arts. It has since been performed at the Berlin Festival in Germany, the Nederlands Nooderzon Performing Arts Festival, and was featured as a special project at the Venice Biennale in Italy last month.
In addition to Blind Runner, various experimental stages will be presented. Gayageum player Park Da-ul and fellow age-mate singer Yoo Taepyeongyang will perform a show titled ‘Doldo Dolgo’ on a stage designed by Ryu Seongsil, winner of the 19th Hermes Foundation Art Award. Actor Kim Shin-rok will present a performance called ‘Eomneun Sigan (No Time)’ together with visual artist Son Hyun-seon, and there will also be a stage featuring saxophonist Kim Oki, who won the 2020 Korean Popular Music Awards for Musician of the Year and Best Jazz & Crossover Jazz Album.
This year’s Sync Next 24 will introduce new genres including jazz, gukgeuk (traditional Korean opera), comedy, contemporary gut (shamanistic ritual), and choral performances.
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