The Korean Theater Review releases Top-7 Plays of 2010

The monthly journal Korean Theater Review has been announcing a Top-7 list since 2006, and now it has selected the best seven theatrical plays for this past year. The plays are judged on how well they were received by the public and theater professionals, and the 2010 Top 7 were chosen from those staged between November 2009 and October 2010. The Korean Theater Review editors, theater critics, cultural reporters and a children’s play board comprised the jury. The selected productions include four from the category original or translated debut plays one restaged play, one original or translated debut children’s play, and one overseas play. Regional plays, unfortunately, could not be taken into consideration due to procedural problems.

     The selected debut plays are “Secret Police” by the theatre company Dong, “Amy’s View” by Arko Arts Theater and the theatre company Cultizen, “No More Sleepless Nights” by Doosan Art Center and “1-28, at Chasook’s House” by Noltang. Apart from the selected plays, a number of other debut productions received significant attention, including “Kill Beth” by Mabangzen, “The Pitman Painters” by Myeongdong Theater, “Lucid Dream” by Chungwoo, and “God of Carnage” by Seensee Company.

     The best restaged play is “A  Quack (Ya-mae-ui-sa) 2010” by Baeksukwangbu. Other noteworthy revivals are “Waiting for Godot” by Sanwoollim Theater Company, “Recursive Dream” by Theatre Zakeunshinhwa and “Moon of Buffalo” by Play Factory Mabangzen. The best children’s play is “Pink Soldier” by Hakchon. Plays for children and teenagers are usually long-running productions. “Cry for You” by Joyful Theater and “A Fish That Became a Star” by Yeonwoo Company also received support from the jury.

     The most impressive production invited from overseas this year is “The Storm” by the Pushkin Drama Theatre of Russia. It was officially invited to the Seoul Performing Arts Festival. “Hamlet” by directed by Thomas Ostermeier, “11 and 12” by Peter Brook and “Uncle Vanya” by Lev Dodin were also nominated for Best Overseas Play.

     While expressing gratitude to the jury members for their input, the monthly also noted that fewer original plays premiered in 2010 than in any of the competition’s previous years. The Korean Theater Review cited lack of support for high-quality, experimental plays as the reason for the paucity of new works and expressed hope that Korean theatre could make a leap forward in 2011.

Theatre Company Dong
The Secret Police

“It was nobody. It was nothing. It was just a hallucination”

A storm created by electric fans and huge bolts of cloth rages on stage. Paper dolls sing and dance among white clouds drawn on a large canvas. Bikes, mock car carrying 10 people, nine carts pulled by the dancing cast, and many other actual objects soon to be featured in “Secret Police” build excitement for what is coming in this fun play. It was adapted from the traditional Namsadang style and consists of five elements: mask play, puppet show, tightrope walking, clown act and a hoop and dish spinning performance. The play portrays every moment vividly, transcending the realm of text.

     The troupe at Dong is well adept at puppetry. It was the main concept behind their rendition of Gogol’s play “The Inspector General.” In this production, actors subtly convey every human gesture with puppets, symbolizing people who act according to someone else’s will. The negative portrayal of government officials depicted by Gogol more than 150 years ago still rings true today.

Performance Dates: December 21, 2010 - January 31, 2011
Venue: Arko Arts Theater
Original Play: “The Inspector General” by Nikolai GOGOL
Adapted and directed by KANG Ryang-won
Composer: CHOI Deok-ryeol, Bulsechul
Art Director: HONG Si-ya
Cast: KIM Seok-joo, YOO Eun-sook, KWAK Eun-joo, CHOI Sung-jae, KIM Jin-chul, KIM Mun-hee, KIM Jung-ah, KIM Mi-rim, KANG Se-woong, KIM Jin-bok, PARK Han-young, LIM Joon, SEO Hye-sook

Arko Arts Theater & Cultizen
Amy’s View

“My life is here, in the theatre.
My life begins when the curtains go up.
My performances are my life.”

Nothing is out of reach in today’s world. People have become used to modern conveniences. In the era of new media, which transcends time and space, theatrical plays are jeopardized. The play “Amy’s View” honestly depicts two contrasting lives and clashes between the theater and new media, the past and the present, the reality and an ideal life, and the truth and falsehood. The poignant acting of YOON So-jung, SEO Eun-kyung and KIM Young-min is the highlight of the play. Yoon So-jung’s character, Esme, portrays the diverse sides of one personality. With charm that is beyond her years, she enchants audiences. Her sense of shame arouses sympathy and criticism. In the final part of the play, she appears as a disappointed yet relaxed and mature old actress who has withstood the hardships of life. “Amy’s View” provides glimpses of the private life of a famous actress. The storyline sounds familiar, yet the passionate cast infuses it with energy. The play touches upon various social issues in the context of the relationship between a mother and daughter, reality and an ideal life, fine art and consumerism.

Performance Dates: February 5-21, 2010
Venue: Arko Arts Theater
Original Play: David Hare
Translation: SUNG Soo-jung
Director: CHOI Young-hoon
Producer: CHUNG Hye-young
Set Design: HA Sung-ok
Costumes: LEE Seung-moo
Music: LEE Hyung-joo
Makeup: BAEK Ji-young
Cast: YOON So-jung, LEE Ho-jae, BAEK Su-ryeon, KIM Young-min, SEO Eun-kyung, KIM Byung-hee

Doosan Art Center
No More Sleepless Nights

 “I don’t want to go anywhere.”

This is a story about an elderly couple who leads a comfortable yet boring life at a Malaysian resort inhabited mostly by Japanese. The couple immigrated there upon retirement and spends time mostly by strolling, playing golf and tennis, swimming and teaching drawing to local children. The Japanese people living at the resort eat Japanese food and watch Japanese DVDs, but they don’t want to go back to Japan. “No More Sleepless Nights” is part two of Doosan Art Center’s “People” series. It portrays modern-day Japanese retirees and tackles various issues of Japanese society, such as group bullying, “hikikomori” and “soto komori.” Japanese people appearing in the play love their home country but don’t want to spend the rest of their lives there. Their loneliness is not just a social issue but a universal human issue that has always existed.

“PARK Keun-hyung’s style is ideal for depicting everyday routines. Though the play is based on Oriza HIRATA’s work, it is presented in Korean in a quiet yet clear way thanks to the perfect collaboration between the director and the cast.”

Performance Dates: May 11 - June 6, 2010
Venue: Doosan Art Center (Space111)
Original Play: Oriza HIRATA
Translation: SUNG Ki-woong
Director: PARK Keun-hyung
Set Design: YEO Sin-dong
Lighting: KIM Chang-ki
Costumes: KANG Ki-jung
Music: LEE Jun-hyuk
Makeup: SOHN Jin-sook
Accessories: CHOI Young-eun
Cast: CHUNG Jae-jin, CHOI Yong-min, YE Su-jung, SEO Yi-sook, KIM hak-soo, CHUNG Hee-jung, KIM Do-kyun, CHUNG Se-ra, LEE Seung-joon, PARK Wan-kyu, YOO Na-mi, JOO In-young, KIM Joo-heon, KIM Dong-hee, LEE Sung-ja

Theatre Company Noltang
1-28, at Chasook’s House

“People build houses. Houses look like their owners.”

The main character of “1-28, at Chasook’s House” is a house. Rather than telling the story of the joy brought by a completed house, the play focuses on the process of building a house and the hard work involved. It shows how people work to build and become acclimated to their own private dwellings. The play portrays the evolution of houses as part of people’s lives and looks at the origin of clay, water, wind and sunrays as related elements. Building a house on stage shows the power of theatrical expression to convey meaning beyond the characters’ personalities. In the course of building, the actors look more natural, vivid and realistic. The play has the feel of an educational performance that skillfully tackles the topic of “construction.” It also tackles the philosophical meaning of a “house.”

Performance Dates: June 18-27, July 16-22, 2010
Venue: Namsan Arts Center, Daehangno Arts Theater
Writer/Director: CHOI Jin-ah
Set Design: LEE Chang-won
Costumes: KANG Ki-jung
Music: CHUN Song-yi
Lighting: SHIN Dong-seon
Cast: YOON Sang-hwa, HONG Sung-chun, KIM Yong-joon, SUNG Yeo-jin, LEE Jun-young, PARK Ki-man, PARK Ji-hwan, YEON Bo-ra, KIM Yu-ri

Best Restaged Performance

Theatre Company Baeksukwangbu
A  Quack 2010

“A sad portrait of modern society”

“A  Quack 2010” is a political and social satire. Its main character is a doctor with a bogus license who discovers himself in a society where nothing is questioned. The unique combination of everyday routine and fantasy mesmerized the audience. Since its 2006 premiere, the play has evolved to portray the sad image of modern-day people in a more acute, sensitive way. Its 2010 version shows how plays can speak about social issues by revealing the painful side of reality. Director LEE Sung-yeol expressed a unique style through this play. His ideas convey the serious thoughts of an artist. The play is set in modern-day Korea, which has been thrown into confusion by the government’s Four-River Restoration Project, the precarious employment of temporary workers, welfare budget cuts and the displacement of economically deprived citizens by urban development. The background touches on the tragedy of squatters killed in a showdown with police in Seoul’s Yongsan and a society dominated by three staunchly conservative dailies. By examining the fake doctor’s inner thoughts, the play portrays the irreconcilable side of reality.

Performance Dates: August 19 - September 12, 2010
Venue: Sundol Theater
Writer: Baeksukwangbu
Director: LEE Sung-yeol
Set Design: SOHN Ho-sung
Lighting: KIM Chang-ki
Dramaturges: KIM Ok-ran, HAN Hyun-joo
Music: KIM Dong-wook
Costumes: LEE Soo-won
Graphics: NOH Woon
Cast: LEE Jun-hyuk, CHANG Sung-ik, YOON Seo-jung, KIM Min-sun, HONG Sang-yong, PARK Hyun-min, LEE Tae-hyung, KIM Won-jin, CHOI Won-jung, CHOI Han-kyul, HONG Ki-yong, CHUNG Hoon, YOO Si-ho, KIM Ran-hee, PARK Mi-ran

Best Children’s Play

Theatre Company Hakchon
Pink Soldier

“A story about a boy who escaped from the boring world of adults into the world of toys”

“Pink Soldier” is a new production by Hakchon, which has staged many musical adaptations of British and German plays for children, such as “Line 1,” “Blood Brothers” and “Mosquito.” “Pink Soldier” depicts the adult world through the eyes of a child. Stories told by toys remind grownups of their long-forgotten childhood and portray the adult world in a funny yet incisive way. The play received the Record of the Year award twice in France in recognition of its outstanding quality. It is a beautiful fairy tale set to music and modified to capture the sentiment and reality of modern-day Korea. It features music familiar to audiences and elaborates stage sets and colorful characters, who come together to emphasize the importance of strong family ties and to criticize the vulgar commercialism behind expensive children’s toys.

Performance Dates: April 29 - June 27, 2010
Venue: Hakchon Blue Theater
Original Play: “Le Soldat Rose” by Pierre-Dominique BURGAUD and Louis CHEDID
Adaptation/Director: KIM Min-ki
Music: KO Chan-yong
Choreography: HONG Se-jung
Musicians: LEE Myung-won, KIM Jung-yeon, Joseph HONG
Set Design: KIM Kyung-hee
Technical Director/Lighting: PARK Mun-seop
Costumes: KIM Han-bit
Makeup: CHOI Yoo-jung
Singing Directors: KIM Jin-won, KIM Ah-seon
Sound Director: PARK Hye-jin
Cast: KIM Bi-bi, PARK Sung-hwan, BANG Jin-ui, KANG Soo-young, LIM Ho-jun, KIM Dong-kyu, CHUN Mun-ji, YOON Jun-ho, LEE Kang-bin

Best Overseas Play

Pushkin Drama Theatre, Magnitogorsk
The Storm

“The Storm” is based on the play by Alexander Ostrovsky of the same title. The original criticizes 19th-century Russian society, but one-fourths of the script has been rewritten to make it resonate with modern audiences. In 2008, “The Storm” received the Best Play award at Moscow’s Golden Mask Festival. The story is set in the small town of Kalinovka near the Volga River, which is tragically dominated by cliquish merchants. It sheds light on absurdities and hypocrisies that drive the main female character, Katerina, to suicide and sharply criticizes patriarchy for stifling the young generation. The tragedy reaches its pinnacle when Katerina jumps into the Volga River. The play bitterly criticizes the obsessions, jealousies and reckless and doomed passions of Russians living in an oppressed society. The scene of Katerina climbing a small shaking board to the end of her life is riveting. The cast comprises actors from a broad range of ages who are equally able to naturally portray complex emotions.

Performance Dates: October 21 - 23, 2010
Venue: Daehangno Arts Theater
Original Play: Alexander Ostrovksy
Director: Lev Erenburg
Cast: Petr ERMAKOV, Igor PANOV, Elena SAVELYEVA, Vladimir BOGDANOV, Maria MAVRINA, Alena SCHEBLEVA, Yuriy DUVANOV, Andrey MAYOROV, Lira LYAMKINAL, Nina FILONOVA, Marina YAKOVLEVA, Maria MAVRINA