LG Art Center announced on July 17 that the play "The Cherry Orchard," which drew significant attention last year with Jeon Doyeon and Park Haesoo in the lead roles, will officially embark on an overseas tour starting in Hong Kong and Singapore.
"The Cherry Orchard" was produced by LG Art Center with the goal of entering the global stage, and was directed by world-renowned British director Simon Stone.
For this overseas tour, the cast will remain unchanged from last year's premiere at LG Art Center Seoul, featuring the same ten actors: Jeon Doyeon, Park Haesoo, Son Sangkyu, Choi Heeseo, Lee Jihye, Nam Yoonho, Yoo Byunghoon, Park Yurim, Lee Sejun, and Lee Juwon.
The first international performance of "The Cherry Orchard" will take place from September 19 to 21 at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The play has been invited as the opening production of the "Asia+ Festival 2025," which is hosted by the Hong Kong government with the aim of showcasing the finest traditional and contemporary performing arts in Asia and around the world.
This will be followed by three performances from November 7 to 9 at Singapore's Esplanade, one of the world's premier performing arts venues. The Singapore performances are part of the "Korea-Singapore 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations" commemorative project, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange.
LG Art Center also revealed that it is discussing plans for performances in Australia and the United States next year. The center confirmed that it has received official invitations from the Adelaide Festival in Australia for March and from Park Avenue Armory in New York, United States, for September, and is currently negotiating details such as performance schedules.
Directed by Simon Stone, "The Cherry Orchard" is a modern reinterpretation of the Russian classic by playwright Anton Chekhov, reimagined as a contemporary Korean story. The play was staged 30 times at LG Art Center Seoul from June 4 to July 7, 2024. At its premiere, it achieved a 95% seat occupancy rate and attracted a total audience of 40,000, generating considerable buzz.
Lee Hyunjung, Executive Producer and Director of LG Art Center Seoul, who oversaw the production, stated, "'The Cherry Orchard' is a truly special work in which a world-class writer and director collaborated with Korea's top actors to vividly transform a Russian story written over a century ago into a contemporary Korean narrative. Simon Stone's modern interpretation, the passionate performances of the Korean cast, the unique stage design based on Saul Kim's architectural work, and the music by Jang Younggyu all reflect the collaborative efforts of people with diverse backgrounds and talents throughout the production process. This genuine global project has attracted invitations from leading theaters and festivals around the world, who have been drawn to these qualities." She added, "For the past 25 years, LG Art Center has strived to introduce outstanding international works to Korea for the first time, inspiring and stimulating Korean audiences and our artists. Now, we are committed to ensuring that the works we create are performed on the world stage and reach even more global audiences."
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