2025-2026 Repertoire Season Press Conference
72 Works to Be Presented from August This Year to June Next Year
New Changgeuk "Simcheong"... 10th Anniversary of "Orphan of Zhao"
The National Theater is establishing a new platform to help Korean changgeuk, which is gaining global attention, make its leap onto the world stage.
On July 9, at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, the National Theater held a press conference for the 2025-2026 National Theater Repertoire Season and announced the launch of the new "World Music Theater Festival," which will bring together traditional music theater works from the three East Asian countries?Korea, China, and Japan?centered around changgeuk in September. Park Ingeon, Director of the National Theater, stated that a total of 72 works will be presented during the 2025-2026 season, running from August this year to June next year, including 25 new works, 15 repertoire pieces, 14 regular performances, and 18 co-hosted productions. He highlighted the World Music Theater Festival as the first of these events.
Director Park Ingeon said, "When I go abroad, I am often asked about changgeuk, which is perceived as Korean opera or Korean musical. Although this year only China and Japan are participating, we will continue to develop the World Music Theater Festival and grow it into a global music festival."
The World Music Theater Festival will feature changgeuk as well as Japan's representative classical stage art, Nogaku, among others.
Park Ingeon, the director of the National Theater, is explaining the works to be presented from August this year to June next year at the 2025-2026 National Theater Repertoire Season press conference held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 9th. Photo by National Theater
Global interest in changgeuk is increasing. The National Changgeuk Company's "Lear," a changgeuk adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear," was performed at the Barbican Centre in London, United Kingdom, in March last year. This year, it was nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Opera category at the Laurence Olivier Awards, the most prestigious awards in the UK performing arts scene. Previously, "The Women of Troy" was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in August 2023, receiving a standing ovation and a five-star review from the influential British newspaper The Guardian. "The Women of Troy" has also been performed in the United States, Austria, and Switzerland.
The overseas expansion of changgeuk is expected to continue. Yoo Eunseon, Director of the National Changgeuk Company, said that on July 8, she met with the director of the Berlin Music Festival and discussed plans to stage changgeuk at the festival in 2027.
National Changgeuk Company performances are creating a sensation in Korea, to the extent that it is difficult to obtain tickets.
Director Yoo Eunseon stated, "Ticket sales for the four performances presented this season, including 'Byeongangsoe Jeom Jjikgo Ongnyeo,' were almost sold out for every show. The performances are receiving a lot of attention, which translates into ticket sales, and the pressure to continue this success is actually very great."
Director Yoo also announced that next season, the company will restage "Ilnalchijeon" and "Boheoja," which were presented as new works this season, and will premiere new productions of "Simcheong" (September 3-6) and "Hyomyeong" (June 23-28, 2026). "Simcheong" will be directed by Yona Kim, resident director at the Mannheim Theater in Germany.
Cha Chiseong, Director of the National Gugak Orchestra (from left), Yoo Eunseon, Director of the National Changgeuk Company, actor Song Seunghwan, Park Ingeon, Director of the National Theater, Park Junghui, Director of the National Theater Company, and Kim Jongdeok, Director of the National Dance Company, are taking a commemorative photo at the press conference for the 2025-2026 National Theater Repertoire Season held on the 9th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by National Theater
The National Theater will also launch the "2025 Korea Traditional Dance Festival" (October 30-31) to strengthen its role as a hub for traditional performing arts. Centered around the National Dance Company, the festival will feature ten national and regional public dance troupes from across the country. In April next year, the National Dance Company will also present "Homecoming," the second choreography work by Kim Jongdeok, who serves as both director and artistic director.
The National Gugak Orchestra will collaborate with POSALABS, a group that has been composing music using artificial intelligence (AI), to perform AI-composed music at the humanities concert "Survive" on June 26 next year.
The National Theater Company will stage its representative repertoire piece "Orphan of Zhao, Seeds of Vengeance," which celebrates its 10th anniversary, at the Haeoreum Theater of the National Theater from November 21 to 30.
As a collaborative production between the National Theater and private arts organizations, the play "The Dresser" will be staged at the Daloreum Theater from December 27 this year to March 1 next year. The play is based on the script by Ronald Harwood, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film "The Pianist." Actor Song Seunghwan, who will play the role of "Teacher," said, "It is a personal honor to be able to stand on the stage of the National Theater again after 57 years since my debut there with the play 'People of Hakmaeul.'"
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