Natl Theater to Extend Daytime Programs
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The National Theater of Korea will extend daytime shows to draw a wider audience and place more emphasis on traditional performances.
Lim Youn-chul, new president of the theater, said that he would turn the theater into a cultural epicenter through various programs, particularly traditional performances.
``Our traditional music and dances were suppressed during the Japanese colonial period and after the liberation, Western music dominated the Korean music scene, so we haven't paid attention to our traditional music. Our theater is supposed to present traditional content with modern art forms to improve our appeal to the public. I'll be more committed to this duty,'' Lim told reporters during a press conference.
The theater will introduce the daytime traditional programs to reach to a wider fan base, including housewives and students.
The organization will set up the gukak (traditional music) concerts, under the guidance of experts, at 11 a.m. every third Monday of every month from March to December.
The concerts will run under different themes and narrators' explanations will help the audience better understand the traditional music. Visitors can enjoy the reinterpreted traditional folk songs, pop songs and original soundtracks of hit films performed by the National Orchestra Company with traditional twists.
In efforts to extend the daytime programs, the theater will present more cultural and educational programs for students, such as the ``Performing Arts Academy'' and ``Cultural Experience and Educational Program.''
He said that he would use school trips to appeal to student audiences.
Lim also said that the Performing Arts Museum, which will partially open in October, will add to the theater's popularity.
Construction began in 2007 and the museum is expected to fully open on April 29 next year, marking the 60th anniversary of the theater's foundation.
Lim said that as the follow-up project of the first national brand repertoire program, it will launch the second repertoire.
However, he said that it will create large-scale and medium-scale performances combining the genres by 2011.
``The new brand repertoire will be comprised of comprehensive performances blending songs and dances that can be staged in large and medium-sized halls,'' he said.
The theater's first national brand repertoire includes ``Life Cord'' (Tae) by the National Drama Company, a Korean traditional opera titled ``Cheong'' (Chong) by the National Changgeuk Company, ``The Scene of Spring'' by the National Dance Company and ``Four Rivers Flowing to The Sea'' by the National Orchestra.
This year's World Festival of National Theaters will have more diverse exchanges with countries such as Moldova, the Philippines, Poland and Ukraine. The festival focuses on the rediscovery of classic works.
Six overseas performances, including traditional Philippine dance by the Philippine National Folk Dance Company, Taiwan's Contemporary Legend Theater's ``Tempest'' and the French National Theater of Strasbourg's 'Tartuffe'' by Moliere, will be presented at the festival.
Last year, the theater hosted more than 800 performances, of which ``Traditional Music Bundles with Mother,'' programmed by art director of the National Orchestra Company and veteran gayageum (12-string traditional instrument) player Hwang Byung-ki, is gaining unprecedented popularity among children and parents as an educational and entertaining performance.
"Traditional Music Bundles with Mother" is a play-style traditional music concert in which the ``Children's Song Bundle'' features songs that children and parents can sing together. The ``Story Bundle'' presents a shadow play with voices performed by actors, and the ``Play Bundle'' lets the whole family enjoy a variety of games together. This year, the upgraded version will be on stage in May.