Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Play 'SWEAT' may show future of Korea hit by labor, racial issues: director
A scene from the play “SWEAT” by the National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) / Courtesy of NTCK
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
The Pulitzer-winning play, “SWEAT,” by playwright Lynn Nottage may have played a big role in portraying the realities for American workers and thus questioning the way of living in the Trump era and the modern industrialized world.
Set in Reading, Pennsylvania, the United States from the early 2000s to the present, the play focuses on the issues of economic inequality as well as gender and racial fracturing among blue-collar friends when their jobs at the local factory are threatened following the companies' shifting of operations to developing countries to cut costs.
The background of the play is set far from Korea, but the show, which has been performed by the National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) from June 18 through July 18, may be a realization of the situation in Korea and Korean society in the future where labor and racial issues surface as major problems, director said.
“I think Korea is the most prejudiced and hierarchical country when it comes to race. Race-related problems are about to explode like a time bomb. The play 'SWEAT,' which deals deeply with racial issues (and labor issues), as well as issues involving women and disabled people, shows our highly-anticipated future. I believe the work may teach Korean society some lessons,” director Ahn Kyung-mo said during a press conference Thursday.
“The value of human labor is decreasing. Labor is just counted by money and consumed like a replaceable accessory. This tendency has become more common in the face of the pandemic. When the neo-liberal economy is spreading rapidly, the play asks Korean society how labor should be … I focused on showing the bar which has been a shelter-like space for the local community turned into a destructive place.”
Actor Park Sang-won playing Stan in the play “SWEAT” / Courtesy of NTCK
“However, we also tried to say that the bar ended up serving as a comforting space for all in the end, showing hope,” actor Park Sang-won, who plays Stan, the bartender, said.
The Korean version of the play tried not to change the original script even though minor adjustments were made in translating lines so that Korean audiences can understand them naturally. However, the director intentionally did not highlight the differences between races by appearance, not only because the entire cast is Korean, but because he wanted to let the audience see that discrimination exists beyond appearances.
“For example, an actor, who plays a black cop, instantly paints himself black when suspects make racist comments about him. I tried to express those discriminatory moments in symbolic ways. Apart from that, I did not show race as it is a reality that there is underlying discrimination occurring against the racial minorities in key moments.”
The play also introduces in between scenes videos of key news events that occurred in Korea so that audiences can relate to the story more effectively.
The play, which premiered online last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, runs about 175 minutes at Myeongdong Theater from June 18 to July 18. The piece was selected as part of the art theater's project to introduce quality overseas plays to Korean audiences every year. English subtitles are provided on Thursdays and Sundays.
A scene from the play “SWEAT” by the National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) / Courtesy of NTCK