Some time ago, January 14^th came to be known as “Diary Day” in Korea. Generally it is deemed “the day to gift diaries” or “the day you plan for a new year”. Even if it is not yet part of the holiday marketing fad, it still seems appropriate to open up a new diary and write down plans for the up coming year. For it is 2014, the Year of the Horse, and the blue horse greets the New Year .The theater world is no different. We are going to take a look at this year’s key theaters and what plans they have in their diaries. Thee diting team have chosen three public and private theaters, each according to themes like “Seoul theaters seating 500 or more,” “theaters that rent for project performances in addition to planned productions,” “theaters running shows of various genres” and others. We also tried conducting phone and e-mail interviews with each theater’s manager to get detailed information about each theater’s annual schedule. Rather than introducing each theater’s shows scheduled for this year, we approached this by asking about the operational issues of six theaters ,including the 2014 show line-up, ratio of planned productions to project performances, the previous year’s ticket sales in contrast to projected ticket sales, target audiences, and this year’s economic prospects of the theater world.

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts: Full of International Musicians’ Performances in Korea

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is claimed to be “Seoul’s performing arts hub” for plays, dance, musicals, opera, gukak (Korean traditional music), classical concerts, pop concerts, and all kinds of genres of performance art. As of mid-January, the 2014 line-up has been 90% determined. According to Shin Dong-jun, who’s in charge of hall rentals,,compared to last year, “there will be less popular music and more musicals,” as well as “an increase in media organized works” The proportion of in-house performances to rental productions is roughly 1 to 2 for the following Seoul Cityperforming arts companies: Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra, Dance Theatre, Chorus, Musical Theatre, Theatre, Opera, Youth Orchestra, Junior Chorus, and Youth Traditional Music . Shin believes shows such as the musical Mozart, guitarist Pat Metheny, violinist Sara Jang, conductor Kristjan Jarvi, the Belgium Choir Scala & Kolacny Brothers, and others are likely to grab audiences’ attention this year, saying, “Although target audiences vary by show, we are interested in the well-off, cultural consumerist, middle-aged demographic and will push youth programs during vacation seasons.” Then when asked about the ticket sales he responded, “Last year it was at about 80%, but from the first-half, prospects for the theater market indicate partial decreases.” In closing, he added, “Shrinking investments in theater has production companies facing difficulties, so we need your support.”

Seoul Arts Center (SAC): The Year of Revitalization in Theater Production and Strengthening the Theater Brand

Aiming to become an “art complex,” Seoul Arts Center ’s 2014 performance line-up has been 100% set. In order to revitalize theater production and strengthen the “theater brand”, all productions are to be shown at the SAC Opera House (Opera Theater, CJ Towel Theater, and Jayu Theater) as part of SAC CUBE 2014. SAC CUBE 2014 revolves around themes such as premiere, classics, Britain, family, and so on, and will put on seven plays, one opera, and one ballet recital. Shin Hyeon-ju, head of rental halls, says that 26% of performances will take place in the Opera Theater, and 36 to 55% at the CJ Towel Theater and Jayu Theater, adding that the Seoul Arts Center will be the stage for the established National Ballet Company, the Korean National Opera, and guest performances by the National Contemporary Dance Company, while CJ Towel Theater and Jayu Theater will host theatrical productions. Additionally, this year’s productions to look out for are plays MEPHISTO and Frankenstein, family operas Le Petit Prince, and musical Once, playing at the CJ Towel Theater and at the Jayu Theater. Other recommendations are Train Coming Turn from the Past,’ Constellations, August Christmas, and Tribes. Finally, when asked about ticket sales and the competition this year in the performing arts world he said, “In the past three years ticket sales were all above 70%, but this year the competition looks tough, so prospects are uneasy.” He added that the theater world “may take a hit since there are many major sports events this year, but there are many wonderful performances scheduled for this year at our theater, so we can be hopeful.”

Hanguk Performing Arts Center (HanPAC): Pushing for Collaboration with National Performing Arts Groups

Hanguk Performing Arts Center (HanPAC) ’s 2014 performance line-up is currently 80% finalized. Unlike other theaters, it hosts annual performance arts festivals like the Seoul Performance Arts Festival (SPAF), the Marronnier Summer Festival, and the Comedy Festival, and is scheduled to have additional contests for submitted works. Jo Yong-ju, head of hall rentals, said about this year’s performance line-up: “By number of companies we have more plays lined up, but by number of days on stage there are more dance performances.” He also revealed: “Productions by our theater or in collaboration with us make up 30% of performances, while about 70% of productions rent the venue.” He also wished to mention the theater’s collaborations with the National Contemporary Dance Company, the National Ballet Company, the National Drama Company of Korea, and other national performance arts groups. He also highlighted Baeksu Theater’s play Widows, HanPAC newcomers director Go Seon-woong and the Moon Theater Company, and other new works. “Since it is a public theater, there may be some lag in ticket sales with new productions picking up speed, meaning we can go in many directions or have a broader target audience. Some may say that this shows no defined character, but our diversity is in itself our defining trait” he said. On one hand, he said, “In 2012, ticket sales were at 59% and went up to 66% in 2013, which is the highest on record for HanPAC since its establishment.” However, he also named major sports events as an important factor that could affect ticket sales this year.

Doosan Art Center: Doosan Humanities Theater Series about Topics from the Same Period

Doosan Art Center has set its 2014 line-up save for one production that is to be announced. This year, most of the shows at Yonkang Hall are original musicals. Of the six musicals, only one is a joint production with the theater, while the rest are renting the hall. Space111 has a total of six productions, with two joint productions scheduled. New productions are scheduled to take the stage for fostering new talent along the title of “Doosan Humanities Theater 2014: Age of Disbelief.” Park Chang-jong, head of theater rentals, recommends the plays Becky Shaw, Enron, and Baesu’s Godo this year. He added: “Through creative support programs at the Doosan Art Lab at Space111, Doosan Art Center provides full support to new artists this year, with productions based on the theme of “topics from the same period.” He also said that the two theaters’ ticket sales for last year were 85 to 90%, many of those in attendance during the week being professionals in their late 20s to early 30s, with many original shows drawing a large number of university students. To conclude, he stated his prospects for this year’s theater world: “There are many shows in production, and with numerous large-scale musicals as well it seems like the limited audience pool will be split. With such a wide selection of works, the distribution of audiences is sure to make this an extremely difficult year.”

Blue Square: Relay of Large-Scale Musicals for All Ages

Blue Square ’s musical theater, Samsung Electronics Hall, has its line-up set up for next year. This is because each production has at least a three-month run. At Samsung Electronics Hall, the productions scheduled to go on stage start from last year’s Mamma Mia and span to Le Roi Soleil’ Cats, Rebecca, and Jekyll and Hyde, in that order. Jang Hyeon-gi, head of theater production at Interpark City, revealed that “the four new productions set to hit the stage in 2014 are rental productions. If joint productions between Interpark INT and Interpark Theater such as last year’s Les Miserables are taken into consideration, then there are about six rentals and four planned productions.” Also, Le Rei Soleil, set in France at the height of its splendor and accompanied by beautiful music, is expected to be well received by Korean audiences, especially with European musicals currently enjoying domestic popularity. About Samsung Card Hall he said: “In 2012 ticket sales were at 90%, then 85% in 2013, the target audiences are people who enjoy musicals, such as women in their 20’s and 30’s, and for large-scale musicals, a big chunk comes from those in their 40’s and up, including families, foreigners, and, truthfully, all ages.” In closing, he offered his remark about this year’s competition in the theater world: “Last year the musical market saw a slight increase to 7%, and this year there are large-scale productions set to premiere, with crowd favorites scheduled to return to stage, so prospects for this year are good and likely to increase in a manner similar to last year.”

LG Arts Center: Armed with Productions from the Masters, ‘CoMPAS 14’

The theatrical production season brand CoMPAS (Contemporary Music & Performing Arts Season) at the LG Arts Center for the most part has set its 2014 line-up with 23 productions with 20 rental productions, with possibly three additional rental productions added later. The head of the planning team, Lee Hyeon-jeong and the house manager, Lee Seon-ok, said about this year’s rentals: “Compared to last year, the number of requests for classic productions had a sharp drop, with much more requests from musically-centered collaborations of other genres. Although the proportion of productions in-house to rental productions are about equal, the theatrical run and number of shows for rentals are higher because of long-run musicals. This year’s shows to look forward to are Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch’s Vollmond (Full Moon), director Ninagawa Yukio’s Musashi, director Jaco Van Dormael’s Kiss & Cry, the Universal Ballet Company’s Nacho Duato-MULTIPLICIT, and the premiere of the musical Priscilla, amongst others. One side speculates: “Last year’s ticket sales were about 75%, and this year should be similar.” In response to the question of competition in the theater world: “When there are economic and social issues, the cultural and arts sectors are among the most vulnerable, particularly the theater, which will likely see a drop in sales with major sports events chipping off the potential sales as well. Also with the increase in number of production, the proportion of attendance rates is low so there is limited funding, meaning no huge growth in the theater market, especially with musicals saturating the scene this year, which may lead to audiences growing weary.”

Enough Theater Productions in 2014 to Give Sports a Run for its Money

As many have pointed out, there are many sports-related events this year, including the Sochi Winter Olympic Games (Feb. 7th- 23rd), the World Cup in Brazil (June 13th – July 14th), and the Incheon Asian Games (Sept. 19th – Oct. 4th). The theater world as a whole is expected to meet some troubles from audiences losing interest due to these events. Luckily, the first two events’ important matches are in the morning, so the theater shouldn’t be greatly affected by this year’s Olympics. Moreover, in addition to the each theater’s strong line-up, there is another event in preparation that is worth paying attention to: the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth In commemoration, the National Drama Company of Korea will put on some of its plays like Lee Byeong-hun’s Macbeth, Jeong Eui-shin’s The Merchant of Venice, and Kim Dong-hyeon’s The Tempest,. Also, the National Opera’s Romeo and Juliet’ will run for the first time in 28 years. Last but not least is the joint production of National Drama Company director Tom Morris and South Africa’s Handstring Puppet Company, A Midsummer Night’s Dream., This year in theater is looking to be rich in prospects that will be a formidable opponent to sports events.

ⓒRespective theaters