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.
Hit hard by pandemic, Korean theaters look outward
A screen capture from Broadway on Demand announces online streaming of the Korean version of the musical “Xcalibur” in June. The streaming of the musical, composed by Frank Wildhorn, by Broadway on Demand, offers a new outlet for theater producers stifled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Courtesy of EMK Musical Company
By Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
While the world's theaters are grappling with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea is one of the few countries where live performances are still being presented although extra safety measures are enforced. Producers are also seeking to reach a wider audience by streaming shows online.
K-Performance On Air, co-hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the Korea Performing Arts Tourism Association, attracted over 1 million viewers during its 22-day online streaming showcase from Oct. 19 to Nov. 9.
It featured some of the classics of the Korean contemporary performing arts such as non-verbal performances “Cookin' Nanta," "Sachum (Dance If You Love)" and "Jump," as well as small theater hits such as "Finding Kim Jong-wook" and "Cats on the Roof." English subtitles were provided for all the videos, which also included interviews with creators and actors.
"The program was broadcast through the Instagram account of the KTO's Tokyo branch and the Chinese travel community Mafengwo. It showcased the ability of Korean performers despite the pandemic," an official from the Korea Performing Arts Tourism Association said.
As the COVID-19 pandemic prolongs, video streaming of live performances ― transcending time and location ― has become a popular medium to reach a wider audience.
PAMS goes virtual
The Performing Arts Market Seoul (PAMS) is one of the pioneering events here in introducing and exporting Korean shows overseas. PAMS selected and showcased 223 performances from 2005 to 2019 and many of these have been introduced throughout Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe through the support of the Arts Council of Korea.
Due to the pandemic, PAMS shifted its 2020 edition online. PAMS typically attracts about 1,500 participants annually, with around 400 from overseas who come to Korea to see the potential of Korean performances.
"The number of participants this year was equivalent to the previous year, so we think we were able to maintain the interest in the Korean performing arts," said Emilia Y.K. Lee, chief manager of the Performing Arts Planning Team at the Korea Arts Management Service, which hosts PAMS. "However, the viewer rate was lower than expected and it was difficult to have the participants concentrate on PAMS compared to face-to-face events."
PAMS presented 10 pieces online, including Leenalchi's “Sugungga,” Coreyah's “Clap & Applause,” Ambiguous Dance Company's “Fever” and Wansung Playground's “The Old Man and the Sea.”
"Our aim is to distribute the Korean performing arts overseas, but it is difficult to foresee the situation due to the pandemic. Europe is one of the most active buyers of Korean performances, but since the region has been hit severely by COVID-19, traveling there in 2021 is uncertain," Lee said. "We did our best in adapting the performances to video and are considering streaming the video on other platforms or to other countries for troupes that are interested in doing this."
PAMS also created a virtual platform similar to an online role-playing game to maximize networking via random encounters as participants would have in offline events.
"We are concerned about the networking capability of people in the theater industry; not just presenting Korean performances. So we tried to convert what we would do offline ― business meetings and booths to introduce Korean performing arts organizations ― into an online platform," Lee said.
"We wanted to share the insight and inspiration amid the pandemic through this virtual platform, instead of presenting a series of seminars through a video conferencing platform. However, it was difficult to get people to engage in conversations as they would do in person.”
Beginning of K-theater
Commercial production companies are also looking to video services to survive amid the pandemic.
EMK Musical Company, one of the largest and most successful musical production companies in Korea, presented two of its shows online this year.
It streamed "Xcalibur," a musical composed by Frank Wildhorn, via Broadway On Demand (BOD) in June, and presented the Austrian musical "Mozart!" by Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze to Japanese online viewers in August on a pay per view system.
Sophy Jiwon Kim, vice president of EMK Musical Company and president of EMK Entertainment, said video of live theater has become a new genre that does not damage the essence of live performance.
"As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, making video adaptations of stage performance is necessary, not optional. We are focusing on improving the quality of existing stage videos and also developing a new genre suited to the online environment," Kim said in a written interview with The Korea Times.
“Xcalibur” and “Mozart” targeted different international audiences and were screened on different platforms.
"I have known the managing director of BOD for years and the director was interested in Korean shows. As all Broadway shows had been stopped due to the pandemic, the demand for online streaming increased, and the BOD soft-opened in June. Xcalibur was chosen for the BOD's first global content. We thought the story based on the legend of King Arthur, beautiful music of Frank Wildhon and the large scale of the show would appeal to English-speaking audiences," Kim explained.
"Mozart! was a big hit in Japan and many Japanese theatergoers came to Korea to see the Korean production before COVID-19. As they could not come to Korea to see the show in person, a Japanese company offered us the opportunity to present an online version of Mozart!"
Still, Korean musical theater has a long way to go to gain global awareness and the profits are larger from domestic audiences than the overseas ones.
"Korean musicals are relatively well-known in Japan and China, but it is difficult to invite producers from the States or Europe to see a show in Korea. I think presenting Korean musicals through BOD is a good way to get the word out about Korean musical theater. We might not create a profit by showing overseas, but it could be a promising beginning for another opportunity," she said.
BOD plans to add a K-Theater section to introduce more Korean performances and Kim is the programming director.
"I want to present a variety of Korean shows, both large and small productions, to international audiences. Good content can touch the viewer's heart regardless of the language," she said.
Kwon Mee-yoo