National Theater's 'Monster Calls' Opens on the 5th... Based on the Award-Winning British Children's Literature Work

Until the 8th at the National Theater Daloreum Theater

Starring Sigourney Weaver and Liam Neeson, the film 'Monster Calls,' which was released domestically in 2017, is being adapted into a play and will be staged at the National Theater's Daloreum Theater.

The National Theater will premiere the play 'Monster Calls' from the 5th to the 8th at Daloreum Theater.

The play 'Monster Calls' is based on the novel of the same name, conceived by British young adult author Siobhan Dowd and completed by Patrick Ness. The original novel is the only work to have simultaneously won the Carnegie Medal, the most prestigious British children's literature award organized by the British Library Association in 2012, and the Kate Greenaway Medal for the best illustrated book. The novel was adapted into a film titled 'Monster Calls' in the UK in 2016, which received the 37th London Critics' Circle Film Award.

'Monster Calls' Rehearsal Site [Photo by National Theater]

The original novel tells the coming-of-age story of a teenage boy named Conor, who suffers at home and school. Every night at 12:07, a monster visits him and tells three stories, through which Conor confronts his inner wounds and new truths. The story unfolds in a format that intertwines reality and imagination.

The National Theater's production of 'Monster Calls' features seven actors with and without disabilities from various age groups. The seven actors, ranging in age from teenagers to their 40s and representing diverse social characteristics, do not have fixed roles but perform various characters and narrators. Different actors alternate playing specific roles, reflecting on the common emotions and themes felt despite differing conditions. Additionally, the actors convey the story through narration and physical expression that highlight their unique traits.

Director Min Saerom said, "I hope the pain of the adolescent protagonist in the novel and the surrounding world are conveyed sharply and warmly to the audience," adding, "Please look forward to the original way of adapting the novel into a play and the passionate attempts of the actors with diverse personalities." She continued, "This work deals with the pain everyone inevitably encounters while growing into an independent human being," and added, "We will present the stages of 'destruction' and 'acceptance' caused by that pain through an original format that moves between the novel and the play."

Director Min Saerom has demonstrated in-depth textual analysis and sensory direction through works such as 'Repairing the Living,' 'Army on the Tree,' and 'Christians.'

The adaptation is by playwright Park Jiseon, who has recently gained attention in the theater world with works like 'Silver Tongue' and 'Gothic Girl.'

Three screens are installed on stage to capture the story that moves between reality and fable through video effects. The stage is designed with a rough-textured black cement to express the complex inner world of Conor with depth.

Five sign language interpreters provide shadow interpretation alongside the actors' narration and movements. Additionally, changes on stage and actors' movements are provided with closed audio descriptions, and dialogue is shown as Korean subtitles in the video. On the day of the performance, program books including Braille will be available.