The 31 works of the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (Arts Council Korea)'s 'Performing Arts Creation Workshop New Works of the Year (Creation Workshop)' will be staged sequentially starting next month.
The Creation Workshop is a representative basic performing arts support project of the Arts Council Korea. It discovers excellent new works in six basic performing arts fields: theater, original musicals, dance, music, original opera, and traditional arts, and supports each stage from production to distribution. This year, 7 plays, 7 original musicals, 7 dance works, 2 music pieces, 3 original operas, and 5 traditional arts works will be performed.
On the 26th, a press conference was held at the Daehakro Arts Theater in Jongno-gu, Seoul, for six works among the total 31, including 2 original musicals, 3 plays, and 1 dance work scheduled for performance next month.
The first work to be performed is the original musical Mu-myeong Ho-geol (Nameless Hero), which will be staged from February 3 to 12 at Interpark Seogyeong Square Scone Theater 2 in Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is a martial arts fantasy drama set against the backdrop of the Imjin War. During the Imjin War, King Seonjo flees after hearing the news that General Shin Rip was defeated at the Battle of Tangeumdae. Mu-myeong Ho-geol sets the story in a scenario where the Joseon king dies at the hands of Japanese pirates.
Lee Gyurin, CEO of the production company Juda Culture, which produced Mu-myeong Ho-geol, explained, "Just as commoners always protected the country in times of turmoil, this story contains a bit about how nameless heroes joined forces to help protect the nation." She added, "It is a play that conveys the theme that the lives of those whose names are not recorded are also valuable and meaningful."
Mu-myeong Ho-geol will be performed at Seogyeong Square Scone Theater 2 and then move to CKL Stage in Jung-gu, Seoul, where performances will continue from February 4 to 19.
The original musical Othello's Retrial will be performed from February 8 to 26 at SA Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The story imagines a scenario where General Othello, deceived by his subordinate Iago's scheme and suspecting his faithful wife Desdemona of infidelity, is put on trial.
Playwright Park Saebom introduced the work, saying, "Othello has mostly been interpreted by men until now, but this piece was written by listening to the story of the victim Desdemona, thinking about what this incident meant to her and what she wanted."
The dance work Delivering You was created by choreographer Baek Juhee based on her experience working as a delivery worker for a delivery company during the economic hardships caused by COVID-19.
Choreographer Baek Juhee said, "I created the work focusing on a few memorable episodes from my experience as a delivery worker," adding, "I wanted to introduce the intense life of delivery workers and reflect on how they are treated within our society and community."
Delivering You will be performed from February 4 to 5 at the Daehakro Arts Theater Small Theater in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The play Magnolia Balloon is a new work by playwright Bae Haeryul, who won the 11th Byuksan Cultural Award in the playwriting category. It will be performed from February 18 to 26 at the Daehakro Arts Theater Grand Theater.
Playwright Bae Haeryul previously wrote the play Route 7 based on an accident at a Samsung Electronics semiconductor factory, and Magnolia Balloon is set in the most remote house in a village near a chemical plant.
Bae Haeryul explained, "When I wrote Route 7, I focused on the relationships and conflicts among people near structural violence." He added, "Magnolia Balloon also deals with unauthorized wastewater discharge from a chemical plant and explores the fractures it causes in a family and their attempts at recovery." He said, "I wrote Route 7 in 2018 and Magnolia Balloon around 2022. Despite the passage of time, I feel that some deaths continue to be condemned and forgotten, which connects the two works."
A play about female gukgeuk (traditional Korean opera) recently gaining attention through dramas will also be staged. Boy Who Became a Pillow will be performed from February 11 to 19 at the Arko Arts Theater Grand Theater. It depicts the journey of a "boy" who dreams of becoming a male actor and joins a female gukgeuk troupe.
Park Subin, CEO of the Female Gukgeuk Production Company, who appears as the boy, said, "For the first time in 50 years, we collaborated with theater creators to create a female gukgeuk work that prominently features theatrical elements." She added, "Veteran female gukgeuk first-generation actress Lee Soja, who is 94 this year, and veteran actress Lee Mija, who is 80, will appear in the production."
The play Existing Dolls: Texts of Dolls will be performed from February 10 to 19 at the Daehakro Arts Theater Small Theater. It is a set of three one-act plays, each written from a unique perspective by three playwrights, centered on a "doll" created by puppet designer and doll maker Lee Jihyung, and the work that utilizes that doll.
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