Looking Back on the Performing Arts Sector in 2022 that Felt the Changes

On December 14th, the Korea Arts Management Service held the “Performing Arts Data Forum”. This forum provided an opportunity to look at the current state of the performing arts world through various data and to find a way forward. The second part of the forum provided a chance to hear straight from the source about the field where data is generated and applied. In it, “Performing Arts Market Trend in 2022 and Outlook for 2023 Seen in KOPIS Data” took place and was followed by “Talk on Issues of Performing Arts Market in 2022”. Kim Ilsong(play),  Yoon Daesung (dance), Song Hyunmin (classical music, Korean traditional music), and Park Byungsung (musical) participated in this talk to look back on the developments of the performing arts market in 2022 and shared issues in each genre. Four issues were discussed: demand concentration on certain shows, ticket price increase, major issues of the performing arts sector in 2022, and lastly, outlook for 2023.
 

Why does the demand get concentrated on certain shows and how does that manifest in each genre?

Kim Il-Song: As for plays, demand is concentrated in medium and large theaters, open runs and production works. Small theaters in Daehakro usually run about 10 showings for a performance in 2 weeks. Compared to that, the number of audience medium and large theater shows attract and how long they run overwhelmingly exceed that of small theater shows. Open run performances run almost 20 showings a week attracting a large number of audience. Production (company)-led works. Cast musical actors or popular actors seen in the media more often than creator (director)-led works. 

Park Byungsung: In the musical market in 2022, it seems that performances in the “big theaters” that focused on “star casting” have had success. Amid the expectations of much awaited endemic, the public had a strong appetite to enjoy performing arts in person. In addition, the concert market, the other pillar of performing arts, has yet to recover, and the musical market has taken advantage of that. Large scale musicals featuring stars who can drive ticket sales, such as starring Kim Jeongsu and Hong Kwangho, and , <42nd Street>, and a steady seller, received good responses. 

Yoon Daesung: The circumstances in the dance market are a bit different. Ballet has been driving the dance market with the Korean National Ballet and Universal Ballet at the forefront. However, they were shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made room for other ballet companies, Korean dance performances, and contemporary dance performances to gradually emerge in the chart. Although it is unfortunate that it is the result of the fall of No. 1, dance is a genre that is far from market orientation in the first place. Therefore, it was hard to see the trend of the groups other than these two. Now, however, they are emerging and filling the void that these two groups have left. Since dance performances are led by government support, we saw the trend based on the supply rather than the demand being concentrated, and the supply has been decentralized. As the line between welfare and support for art became blurred during the pandemic, we saw more newly emerging choreographers and small-scale performances as a result of smaller support being provided in bigger numbers.  

Song Hyunmin: Unlike musicals and plays, there is no such thing as a performance market for Korean traditional music, but there was a certain demand concentration. And it was around JTBC’s . It was produced as a TV program but later became a production, which attracted an audience who wanted to see its stars. In 2020, Leenalchi’s popularity attracted much attention to Korean traditional music, and people are actively looking into the possibility and the positive outlook of the traditional music market. However, the focus is only on certain groups or productions. The same goes for classical music. In particular, the popularity of the concour format serves as a funnel that attracts the public interest in classical music, and is also the cause of demand concentration for specific performance. Yunchan Lim, a pianist who won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition even drove the increase in sales of Goethe’s when he said he enjoyed reading the book. His album released at the end of November after winning the competition sold 10,00 copies. Not only this worked in favor of the record market, but also it was a good PR for classical music, which is not an easy task. However, this phenomenon is only seen when a “star” actor is involved, and it is not spreading to the overall classical music scene. 

According to the performing arts market trend analysis data in the third quarter of 2022, it seems that the ticket price has gone up. What’s the current status by genre, and what are the causes behind the price increase?

Kim Il-Song: For plays, despite the ticket price increase, the overall impact on the market is negligible. The ticket price of between 30,000 won to 50,000 won is extremely low considering labor cost, inflation rate, and minimum hourly wage. It will only be reasonable to double it from the current level. However, the market is shrunk as it is now, and if the price is set too high, there is a risk that the number of audience and the profits will decrease. 

Park Byungsung: Production companies, which have been barely managing during the pandemic, are not operating in a way that maximizes sales as the market is revitalized after a long time. In addition, the audience is flocking to the market. So, the companies refrain themselves from giving out discounts as much as they can, which makes the average ticket price go up. On top of that, due to rising production costs and exchange rate hike, the “150,000 won” which used to be considered as the ceiling, collapsed as higher prices were set such as 160,000 won () and 180,000 won (). The problem is that the price that has gone up does not come down even if the market recovers. And I am concerned that the number of audience will decrease rather than increase as a result of that. 

Song Hyunmin: In the classical music market, there are cases where the ticket price for visiting international musicians or organizations to Korea has gone up due to the number of flights being reduced or flights being canceled because of COVID-19, the shortage of energy supply because of the Russia-Ukraine war, and the exchange rate hike. However, this phenomenon was observed more when orchestras, which require more people to travel than individual musicians, visited Korea. In addition, there were cases in which large scale tours were planned to come to Korea as the COVId-19 related situation eased, but later canceled because sudden changes in the global political landscape increased the cost of travel and stay. While the main reason for cancellation used to be the pandemic, now it is the price. Same goes for the Korean musicians living abroad as they have to go through the same route to access the Korean music market. So this was often the case for them too. 

Yoon Daesung: This unfortunately does not apply to the dance market. I should compare the current data to that from 2019, which is before the pandemic broke out to be accurate. However, the proportion of public-led performances with a welfare character to provide support to dancers and cultural benefits to the public is increasing. With that, it feels like low-cost performances have increased mainly in non-metropolitan areas. 
 
Song Hyunmin: Most of the ticket transactions in the Korean traditional music sector are made so that performers’ acquaintances can see the performance rather than for the sake of marketability or commerciality. In that regard, I welcome how has emerged as a popular performance that people can watch only by buying an “expensive” ticket. However, ticket prices did not rise for the overall market. Invitations given out to people including family and friends are still the majority.

What were the main issues by genre in 2022?

Kim Il-Song: The theater sector reacts to social issues more sensitively than other genres. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of works dealing with the climate crisis, which has become a global issue. Barrier-free performing arts is also an interest of theater makers, and methodologies for this are expected to be developed. ARKO Arts Theater and Doosan Art Center are introducing the concept of an accessibility manager, and as the budget for disability arts increases, accessible performances and venues are expected to increase. As the impact of the pandemic, which made in-person performances impossible, diminishes, immersive (audience participation) performances are likely to increase again. Audiences are also very interested in performances that are built upon interactive conversations rather than one-way communication. 

Park Byungsung: Sales in the musical market were the highest at about 380 billion won in 2018, but are estimated to exceed 400 billion won in 2022. That means that the musical market will record the highest sales as soon as it gets out of the pandemic’s impact. Blockbuster performances fared well again in 2022, and the proportion of creative musicals in the musical market got bigger considerably due to the box office success of the musicals in small theaters in Daehak-ro. That seems to be a sign that the market conditions are improving. Large production companies also started producing creative musicals. by Shownote, and by EMK, and by OD company are good examples. In addition, as musicals were recognized as an independent genre in the Public Performance Act, grounds were laid for a more systematic and industrial approach. 

Song Hyunmin: The Yunchan Lim Syndrome in 2022 was an event that energized the classical music sector. It Is noteworthy that in 2021 and 2022, musicians who are former concours winners continue to settle down as faculty members in Korea. The valuable experience they gained on the international stage serves as a foundation for revitalizing education and the performing arts sector in Korea in general. In that respect, it can be said that the classical sector has reached a point where it is on a virtuous cycle. I think now is the time for us to pay attention to the circuit of this cycle. Currently Korean classical music is presented to the global audiences via performances, butI believe that education will become an important driving force for Korean classical music in the future. Internationally, the blockade of the Chinese market has also left a significant damage to the classical music sector. International artists or groups coming to Korea often visit Korea as part of their Asian touring, and make a lot of money in China and Japan, which are huge markets. However, many international groups hesitated because the Chinese market did not reopen and canceled their tours in the end. 

Yoon Daesung: In 2022, the number of performances surged as we see performing arts activities bursting out after being suppressed due to the pandemic, but on the other hand, it was also a transitional period. The dance sector is highly dependent on government support, and  the elections and the change of power had a huge impact on it. The cultural policy and direction of the new administration did not seem to be established yet, which makes it felt like the dance sector is up in the air. The directors of major national and public dance companies have been leading large-scale performances through big sponsors, but this year was the last year of their tenure, so there was no big movement or momentum, which is one of the major factors. However, this year marked the 60th anniversary for the National Dance Company of Korea and the Korea National Ballet, which was something to be celebrated.The National Dance Company of Korea premiered its 60th anniversary performance, and thoroughly organized its history to publish . An increase in dance performances in areas outside Seoul and changes in the landscape of dance activities are also noticeable. In the dance sector, most infrastructure such as educational institutions, theaters, and cultural foundations are all located in Seoul, so it was heavily concentrated in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. However, increasingly more dancers are taking their activities outside Seoul. During this period, local governments activities not just recovered but invigorated. As the number of city-level cultural foundations increased, the input of financial resources for performances increased, and the system improvement of local theaters also contributed to this invigoration. Dancers are also receiving reasonable remuneration in the changing environment. 

Song Hyunmin: In the Korean traditional music sector, the majority of the public interest is still focused on Leenalchi's and . The pandemic has brought a lot of support that will provide creative opportunities to artists. However, when it comes down to making a living, artists must attract the public's attention. Therefore, they are mimicking the popular trend, which makes all performances become similar, and reduces diversity in the issues they deal with. Although Korean traditional music is a long-standing music genre, it is a genre that receives the most implicit pressure on its creation and popularization. Not to mention in 2022, but for many years balanced policies and support are called for in order to allow many different colors of creative direction to coexist in the sector. 

Lastly, the fourth topic of the Talk, the outlook for the performing arts market in 2023 and the prediction of major issues, was also discussed. All genre representatives agreed that there will be more performing arts productions and demands as the impact of the pandemic diminishes. Each genre will walk down its own individual path in 2023 by capitalizing on its own attributes.

The play (Kim Ilsong) paid attention to the expansion of climate crisis, barrier-free movement, and immersive performances, and the musical (Park Byungsung) focused on large production companies making more creative musicals, the revision of Public Performance Act reshaping the support and structure of the musical sector, and the opening of NHN Link's Daehak-ro venue (Link Arts Center). The classical music (Song Hyunmin) cited concerts commemorating diplomatic ties with classical music powerhouses such as Switzerland and Germany, and an increase in piano performances due to the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff's birth. The dance ( Yoon Daesung) pointed out that many heads of the national and public dance groups will be replaced and that there will be a strong recovery in international touring coming to Korea. The Korean traditional music (Song Hyunmin) mentioned that pansori Sugungga will be a popular repertoire as it is the “year of the rabbit,” and that a number of young musicians are choosing the path of returning to the traditional music. 

Kim Il-song
While managing Ianjae Book Factory, Kim Ilsong publishes books about theater, play and critiques. He served as editor-in-chief of Scene Playbill, a monthly theater magazine, editor-in-chief of Seoul Dance Center’s webzine Choom:in, and editor-in-chief of TheApro, an information platform for international exchange of performing arts.

Song Hyunmin
Song Hyunmin is a music critic, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine "Auditorium", adjunct professor at Kookmin University, and host of "FM Gugakdang", a Korean traditional music broadcast. He studied at the Korea National University of Arts. He won the 13th Auditorium Art Critic Awards for his Western music research, and won the National Gugak Center’s 70th Anniversary Merit Award for his activities in the Korean traditional music sector.

Yoon Daesung
Yoon Daesung is the editor-in-chief of Dance Forum, a monthly dance magazine and the general director of the Critics Choice Dance Festival 2023, one of the most prestigious performing arts festivals in Seoul. She is also the youngest member of the Korean Dance Critics Association. Her books include 〈Hallyangmu〉 published by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and 〈60 Years of the National Dance Company of Korea〉.

Park Byungsung
Park Byungsung served as the editor-in-chief of The Musical, a musical magazine, and produced and hosted the musical review show Stage Impression Settlement. Currently, he writes performance columns for various media and gives lectures. His book includes 〈Avid Musical Reading〉./span>