Audiences Read Poetry and Enjoy Music on Stage... Sejong Center's "Reading & Listening Stage"

On January 25 and 26 at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

An opportunity for a unique experience-reading poetry collections and listening to music not from the audience seats, but on the stage of the Sejong Center Grand Theater-will be offered.

On January 15, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts announced that it will present the first program of its 2026 “Sejong Inspiration” series, titled “Reading & Listening Stage,” on January 25 and 26, right on the Grand Theater stage. The Sejong Inspiration series is designed to break down the boundaries between stage and art, providing audiences with a new paradigm for experiencing the theater and making it feel more familiar. The program was created to transform the theater from a mere viewing space into a platform that proposes new artistic experiences.

During the “Reading & Listening Stage,” guests will be able to enjoy carefully selected books and music in the special setting of the Grand Theater stage. Instead of sitting in the usual audience seats, participants will take their place in special seats arranged on stage, gazing out over the 3,000 empty seats and immersing themselves in deep contemplation and focus.

2025 Sejong Center for the Performing Arts 'Listening Stage'
Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

The music will feature pieces related to the 27 performances scheduled for the 2026 Sejong Season. Through works by masters such as Cage, Beethoven, Schubert, and Piazzolla, attendees will get a preview of the major performances of the 2026 Sejong Season.

Twenty-seven carefully selected poetry collections, each linked to a 2026 Sejong Season performance, will also be placed on stage. Guests can read their favorite poetry collections while listening to music, experiencing the intersection of literary reflection and musical imagination. For example, poet Park Yeonjun’s “Go and See if Love Has Died” will be paired with the Seoul Ballet Theater’s “Bliss & Jakie”; Shin Iin’s “I Might Become an Alien” with the Seoul Musical Theater’s “The Tribe”; Ko Myeongjae’s “We Close Our Eyes When We Kiss” with the Seoul Opera Company’s “La Boh?me”; Lim Yooyoung’s “Omelet” with the Seoul Ballet Theater’s “Death and the Maiden”; and Han Yeo-jin’s “When You Grill Tofu, Winter Comes” with the Seoul Ballet Theater’s “In the Bamboo Forest.”

To deepen the audience’s understanding, an “Art Dialogue” session will be held, where poets and artists share their artistic inspiration. Participating poets include Park Yeonjun, Shin Iin, Ko Myeongjae, Lim Yooyoung, and Han Yeo-jin, while participating performing artists include Seoul Ballet Theater season dancers Nam Yoonseung, Choi Moklin, and Lee Jiyoung. Translator and dramaturg Lee Danbi will moderate the session, facilitating conversations among poets, performing artists, and the audience. The Art Dialogue will last for about 30 minutes.

2025 Sejong Center for the Performing Arts 'Listening Stage'
[Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts]

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts announced that tickets for the “Reading & Listening Stage” sold out within an hour of going on sale on January 6, and that a limited number of additional tickets will be released at 2 p.m. on January 19. The “Reading & Listening Stage” will be held twice on January 25 and three times on January 26.

The Sejong Center also revealed plans to fill the stage space with forest-inspired fragrances through a collaboration with the lifestyle etiquette brand hinok. In addition, all participants will receive a special gift provided by hinok.

An Hosang, President of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, stated, “Sejong Inspiration is a process that proves the theater is more than just a place to watch performances-it is a ‘cultural arts platform’ where the diversity of art can be experienced and the senses expanded. Through this ‘Reading & Listening Stage,’ I hope the audience will step out of their daily routines and experience a new resonance of the senses.”