Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Pasca pours Rain on stage
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Cirque Eloize’s “Rain” returns to Korea after five years with water actually teeming on to the stage.
The show revolves around a couple in a theater during a circus rehearsal and realism blends with fiction and bossa nova music.
“Rain” is known for its final scene, when gallons of water pour from the ceiling for 10 minutes. Eleven actors run, dabble, play with balls and jump rope as if they were children playing in the rain.
Daniele Finzi Pasca, director of the circus, said he started to build the show from the last scene, via an email interview with The Korea Times.
By Kwon Mee-yoo
“It is an image recurring to my shows. It was not the first time it rained in my show and will not be the last,” Finzi Pasca said.
“I love to drop things from the sky and it is a kind of obsession. Every time I look up to the sky, I always wait for something to be thrown by God, something that will surprise me.”
His attachment to the sky led to the creation of the Sky Trilogy with Cirque Eloize — “Nomade,” “Rain” and “Nebbia.”
“Rain” is a show dedicated to freedom, the director said.
“Freedom is a feeling that rarely comes. I remember playing in the rain during a storm even though I was dressed well for a party when I was a child. I threw myself in the storm but no one scolded me.
“Sometimes, freedom falls on us like a storm and I want this show to rain in the eyes of the spectators.”
Coming from a family of photographers, Finzi Pasca fell in love with the theater when he was young.
“Theater is a world that I love. I am fascinated to stay behind the scenes and see what happens on the stage, spying on the secret side of the actors and technicians.”
He established Teatro Sunil in 1983 and has been working with the same creators for almost 30 years, creating some 25 shows. Other works created and directed by Finzi Pasca include Cirque du Soleil’s “Corteo” (2005) and the closing ceremony of the 2006 Turin Olympic Winter Games.
“During these years we have created a style and a language that has influenced many other companies. I love travelling with them and try new challenges with them,” he said.
“Acrobatics is a magical language. I’m interested in the stories the actors tell on stage, how they communicate and the invisible fragility.”
Finzi Pasca is not bound to genres when directing a show. It could be a circus, an opera, a play or a combination of all of them. As a director, he has stressed communication with actors and the other creative staff.
“I always try to create empathy with my actors and work with the same passion as the actors. I love working with singers as they try to find ways to express the complexity of each character and I try to convince acrobats not to worry about the scene and focus on their movements,” the director said.
“An artist must continue to question himself and should look within themselves to find a unique point of view, reason, love and passion.”
He said a good director should not make concessions and stay true to oneself.
“Let the actors believe what they are doing as they are a part of the dream that a director created,” Finzi Pasca said. “It also takes passion and delicacy.”
He was sure of the success of the troupe’s second visit to Korea.
“I think the Korean audience is fascinated by poetic language we Italians use and our way of telling about life touches the sensitive soul of Koreans. I believe that Koreans love poetry very much,” the director said.
“I am working on a project for Korea,” Finzi Pasca said. However, he is keeping the details secret at this time.
“Rain” raises its curtain on Friday and runs through July 10 at the LG Arts Center in southern Seoul.
Tickets cost from 40,000 won to 100,000 won. Call 1577-5266 for more information.