Myeongdong Reemerging as Cultural Hub
Theaters Spring to Life in Shopping District
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Myeongdong, one of Seoul's main shopping districts housing mid-to high-priced retail stores and international brand outlets, was once a cradle for culture and art until the mid-1970s.
Poetry readings, music concerts, theatrical performances and art exhibitions attracted many culture-savvy young couples and artists to the downtown district in 1960-70s.
Now, the district is turning into the self-claimed ``cultural spot'' by reinvigorating or opening a slew of theaters to restore its past glory.
Myeongdong Theater
The upcoming reopening of the Myeongdong Theater, which was recreated from the old National Theater of Korea, has accelerated the revival mood.
After the three-year renovation project, the playhouse, which has 552 seats, will open on June 5.
This performance space was originally built in 1934 under Japanese colonial rule, and served as Korea's national theater, until it moved to Jangchung-dong in 1973.
Since the mid-1980s, those on the cultural scene have requested that the old national theater be restored. The government bought the building and renovated its interior, while preserving the classical Baroque-style exterior.
Until the mid-1970s Myeongdong was home to veteran artists and actors who used to hang around together. Renowned playwrights Yu Chi-jin and Lee Hae-rang and actors Huh Jang-gang, Choi Eun-hee, Park Jung-ja and Kim Geum-ji used to perform at the theater and singer Yoon Bok-hee held her debut there.
But when the theater moved out to the new spot in 1973, Myeongdong began losing its shine as the hub of Korean culture and art and instead became a commercial shopping zone.
To renew the original function, the theater is designed to present only dramas. Koo Ja-hung, president of the theater, said it will serve as a ``producing theater'' which creates theatrical arts unlike other theaters that focus on just presenting ``ready-made'' performances.
The opening performance will be ``Maeng Jinsa's Happy Day'' written by Oh Young-jin and directed by Lee Byung-hoon from June 5 to 21. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon will play a cameo role in the production.
Samilro Changgo Theater
Nestled behind Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral, the Samilro Changgo Theater has added efforts that herald the resurrection of the district's cultural epicenter.
The theater first opened in 1975 and survived turbulent historical times for the past 34 years. It is a small theater with only 70 seats created from a storage area of an ordinary house on the second floor.
But the theater has historical significance in that the late actor Chu Song-wung's monologue play ``Red Peter's Confession'' was staged there in 1977, attracting an audience of 60,000 viewers for its four-month run.
His play was inspired by Franz Kafka's short story ``A Report to an Academy.'' The play was produced, directed, adapted and performed by Chu in celebration of his 15th year as an actor in 1977. Staged more than 1,000 times until his death in 1985, it occupied one-third of the actor's career.
The theater was a theatrical landmark as the professional center of the drama movement and for its accomplishments as the epicenter of popular plays among local theater fans.
The year of 1975 marked the watershed in Korean theatrical history ― an exploding numbers of small theaters were hastily established, and many troupes were organized by professional as well as semi-professional performers across the country to meet the surging numbers of spectators in the following years.
The playhouse virtually performed its focal leadership among the crust of small theaters and is still in operation, in spite of its bitter struggles for survival through more than 30 years. The theater was once on the verge of shutdown and was used as a factory for making kimchi and a printing house due to financial difficulties.
However, the playhouse has recently renewed its function for cultural exchange with foreign artists for the first time in the theater's history, in concert with the reopening of Myeongdong Theater.
``Yi Sang Counts To Thirteen'' directed by Lee Breuer, an American master in experimental theater, is on stage through June 28. It tells the story of the short-lived Korean poet Yi Sang during the Japanese colonial era.
``Most of the performances have moved to Daehangno but to clarify the identity of our theater, which has played an important role in the local performing theatrical history, we are trying to work with a foreign master for the first time in 34 years since its foundation,'' Jung Dae-kyung, president of the theater, who has run it from 2004, said.
Myeongdong Art Center
The Myeongdong Art Center opened its doors on May 15 in 2008 with the successful donation campaigns of many celebrities and art lovers.
Located on the 3rd to 5th floors of the UNESCO Building, where Funky House used to be, it includes a theater with 410 seats in three tiers. The seats are arranged as close as possible to the stage, and there are specially designed walls so the audience can experience the energy of the performance.
The auditorium also includes a special room for families with small children, located on the third floor. This room has soundproof glass and a stereo system, so that audience members of all ages can enjoy performances.
Not only does the center have a high quality program, but it also runs a first-class exhibition space in its lobby.
The center aims to attract foreign tourists visiting the shopping district. According to the center, foreigners represent about 20-30 percent of its audience.
Since its inception, the theater has hosted, `` A Dwarf Who Loved Snow White'' and B-boy performance, ``Marionette,'' and currently is showing ``Any Beat,'' a comical martial performance.
The center provides subtitles for foreign visitors and various programs to promote the diversity and excellence of Korean performances.
Haechi Hall
The theater with 200 seats opened its doors on April 17 on the fifth floor of the Myeongdong M Plaza. Haechi, a mythical animal, is a character representing Seoul. The theater aims to draw foreign visitors and youngsters with musicals and new experimental shows. The opening performance is the musical ``Sachungi.''