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Musical “Eurobeat” opened the 2nd Daegu Int’l Musical Festival Tuesday. |
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The 2nd Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) kicked off Tuesday, opening with a performance of ``Eurobeat.''
This year's festival presents six official invitational musicals and three DIMF grantee homegrown musicals ― ``In the Time of'' ``Forever'' and ``My Scary Girl'' which will be shown for the first time ― as well as side events including a Fringe Festival and academic conferences. As part of the festival, the Daegu Musical Awards will be held at Dongu Culture and Athletic Center on July 7, with awards being given in eight categories. It will also provide opportunities for college students to show off their talent.
The festival, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will go on through July 7 in main theaters and provisional stages around downtown Daegu.
The opening performance, ``Eurobeat,'' is based on the disco music genre from 1980s Europe. On stage at Daegu Opera House, it will continue to run until June 22.
``Eurobeat'' won the U.K. Best Musical Production Award at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Scheduled to open in the West End, London in September this year, the witty and funny musical will delight the audience, engaging actors with the exotic attractions of ethnic costumes, songs, and dance from over 10 countries.
During the festival, ``Soridoduk'' featuring musical stars Choi Jung-won and Nam Kyung-ju will be staged at Daegu Opera House on June 28-29, while ``Audition'' will be performed at Daegu Bongsan Cultural Center on June 26-29.
``The Comic Book Store's Misuk'' will take to stage at Daegu Suseong Artpia on June 19-22, while ``Doggy Poo'' will hit the stage at Daegu Cultural Center for Students on July 3-6.
``My Scary Girl'' will be performed for the first time at Daegu Bongsan Cultural Center on July 5-6, along with two new musicals ― ``In the Time Of'' at Daegu Harmonia Art Hall on June 19-22 and ``Forever'' at Daegu Bongsan Cultural Center on June 19-22.
``Butterflies,'' the closing performance, will go on stage at the Daegu Opera House on July 4-6. ``Butterflies'' is the first super-scaled modern-style musical produced in China. It is a fantasy musical with modern interpretation of one of the best-known Chinese folktales, the beautiful but a tragic love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, a young couple who are separated by Zhu's arranged marriage. Liang misses Zhu so much that he dies of a broken heart. After receiving the news of Liang's death, Zhu commits suicide on the day of her wedding.
The festival was created in 2006 as the only international musical festival in Korea, aiming at developing the musical industry in the city and boost the creativity and quality of the local musicals.
The city seeks to establish itself as a ``Mecca'' of the Asian musical industry like other international musical markets such as Broadway and the West End.
For more information, visit www.dimf.or.kr.
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr
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