Performing arts festivals galore in fall
By Chung Ah-young
As summer is nearing its end, various fall festivals are attracting theatergoers and thespians to the world-class performing arts scene in Seoul.
Major performing arts events will be held throughout September and October with diverse theater works.
Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF)
The Seoul Performing Arts Festival marks its 10th anniversary this year. It will present 28 works ranging from plays, dance and musicals to street performances from eight countries — Korea, Russia, Lithuania, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Poland.
Under the theme of “SPAF Strikes Sparks,” the annual event will kick off on Oct. 2 through Nov. 14 in various venues including the Arko Arts Theater, Daehangno Arts Theater, Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Center, Namsan Arts Center, Sogang University Mary Hall, Yeouido Park and Gwanghwamun Square.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the organizers will put “Rhinoceros,” a collaboration between Korea and France on stage. Directed by Alain Timar, the show was performed at the Avignon Festival 2010. The piece captures human evil, silence and serenity and keeps a close watch on the internal changes of the mind.
Three Comedies by Moliere” directed by Christian Schiaretti, an innovator in French theater, comes to Seoul. The recreation of the 17th-century theater is the winner of the prestigious Georges-Lerminie prize awarded by French Critics.
Directed by Ra Jin-hwan, “The Possessed” adopts a minimal space with the use of suggestive props, turning philosophical thinking into a material dance drama to reveal a deep sense of despair in the human mind by blending humor and despair.
Also, to capture the hearts of the audience is “Demain,” a dance piece choreographed by Michele Noiret, the world-renowned choreographer and winner of The Theatre-Dance critics prize of the French Community of Belgium for the best dance performance of the 2008/2009 season.
For more information, visit www.spaf.or.kr.
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Theater Olympics in Seoul
The Theater Olympics will open on Sept. 24 at major venues in Seoul to showcase 40 representative works from 13 countries under the theme of “Sarang: Love and Humanity” for 45 days.
The event debuted in 1994 to seek the development of theatrical performances through cultural exchanges between countries.
Unlike other similar events, the Theater Olympics is held as a themed event, under which participating thespians will present works related to it.
One of the noticeable works is Robert Wilson’s “Krapp’s Last Tape” co-produced by the World Festival of National Theaters, which will also take place from Sept. 1 to Oct. 30 in Seoul. Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright whose productions are characterized by an impressive use of lights to create the originality of visual stage art. Wilson will direct and act in the monologue show and enact his trademark object theater using various visual movements, lights and sounds.
Tadashi Suzuki’s “Dionysus” which was first produced in 1978, will be performed as a new version that portrays fear and instability through music. Inspired by the ancient Greek drama, the show is a representative work of Suzuki who creates an innovative mix of musical and physical versions of classic theater.
“Ajax” directed by Theodoros Terzopoulos will be shown for the first time in Korea. Terzopoulos is a founder of ATTIS Theater Group that specializes in Greek tragedies. The group has toured numerous cities and countries to present more than 1,800 works abroad.
The Mexican theater piece “Amarillo” directed by Jorge Arturo Vargas will be a mixture of media art, physical theater and visual images.
For more details, visit www.theatreolympics.or.kr.
Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS)
The 2010 Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS) will take place from Oct. 11 to 15 to secure growing recognition in the global market of performing arts.
Since 2005, PAMS has been held annually and attracted 8,314 performing arts professionals from 71 countries.
In this year’s official showcase, 13 committee-selected theater, dance, music and multi-disciplinary performances will be staged for domestic and overseas performing arts professionals.
PAMS Choice designees will receive airfare support for overseas tours, training and consulting opportunities and translation services. The selection committee will support the performances to help them to gain more overseas exposure.
The showcase includes “A Dwarf Who Loved Snow White,” “Peer Gynt,” “Darkness Poomba,” “A Seventh Man,” “Patter & Variability,” “Metamorphosis,” “Dreams from the Ancestor” and “Tori, Sori, Nori.”
For more information, visit www.pams.or.kr.