Five decades as an actress
Actress Son Sook performs in a scene of “Mother,” which will be staged at Arko Arts Theater in Daehangno from Feb. 1 to 17. / Courtesy of Street Theatre Troupe
Son Sook celebrates with 'Mother' on stage next month
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A veteran actress Son Sook in 1999 took a brief detour as environment minister; it was brief, lasting 32 days. But for most of her five-decade long career, the 69-year-old has stood by her first love of acting.
This year, she celebrates her 50th anniversary as an actress. Instead of planning any special events, Son will stage plays as she did all this time, starting with the Street Theatre Troupe’s “Mother” in February. The “Mother,” which is one of Son’s major works, will go on stage at Arko Arts Theater in Daehangno from Feb. 1 to 17.
In the play directed by art director of the troupe Lee Youn-taek, Son portrays a typical tough Korean mother who endured a harsh tough upbringing through the periods of Japanese colonial rule and the Korean War (1950-1953) and personal ups and downs.
In the play, the mother’s personal tragedy such as parting with her first love, marrying a man she does not love and death of her firstborn expands to bigger, historical dimensions of the Korean War and the division of North and South Korea. Her deep sorrow is relived through “gut,” or shamanic healing ceremony, and the mother finally passes away.
The play is also about a woman finding her name and self throughout her life. Son will break from her sophisticated, elegant image and play the relentless woman who goes through harsh circumstances in “Mother.”
“Mother” premiered in 1999 at Chongdong Theater and was restaged several times in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2011 and 2012. Son proclaimed that she will play the lead role for 20 years and has so far kept her promise well into its 14th year.
She won the Best Actress at the 35th Paeksang Arts Awards in 1999 for her portrayal of the title role.
Son debuted in 1963, when she was a freshman at Korea University, through a school production of Pedro Antonio de Alarcon y Ariza’s “El Sombrero de Tres Picos” (The Three-Cornered Hat). Her professional debut was "Mourning Becomes Electra" by Eugene O’Neill in 1968.
Since then, she starred in some 150 plays, including “Agnes of God” and “Shirley Valentine,” in which she plays some 15 roles all by herself. She also appeared in many television dramas and movies, putting on splendid acting performances regardless of genre.
In 2009, Son played Mary Cavan Tyrone in O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” the play that catapulted her into the world of theater when she was in high school.
She also entered politics for a short time when she took the position of Environment Minister in 1999, but stepped down after only 32 days. She starred in prearranged “Mother” at Taganka Theater in Moscow, Russia, after becoming minister. She received a gift of money from Korean businessmen visiting Russia after the performance as an actress, but it instigated rumors of her taking a bribe, which forced her to quit politics. This unfortunate incident led her to devote herself entirely to acting.
After “Mother,” she will present two new works this year. In April, she will play a demented mother in director Lim Young-woong’s new piece and an autobiographical role in a new play by Park Chun-geun about the life of an actress in July.
She also hopes to bring “My Very Last Possession,” a play based on the late novelist Park Wan-suh's work premiered in Seoul last year, to the United Kingdom.
Tickets cost from 20,000 to 50,000 won. For more information, visit www.stt1986.com or call (02) 763-1268.