Edinburgh to Feature Korean Works

A scene from ``Binari,'' Korean traditional spiritual performance

By Chung Ah-young

Staff Reporter

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which will be held Aug. 5-27, has been a rite of passage for Korean theaters to put their efforts to the test on the international stage.

``Nanta'' by PMC Production Company, also known as ``Cookin,'' the non-verbal percussion performance, knocked on the door of the festival in 1999, the first time for a Korean production.

Since then, other Korean performances such as ``A Midsummer Night's Dream'' by the Yohangza Theater Company, and the martial arts-based performance ``Jump'' by Yegam have successfully followed.

This year, Korean productions are gaining momentum in heading for the festival with the support of the government. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Seoul City Metropolitan Government will sponsor the productions.

Among a total of 14 works that will be performed at the festival, six will receive intensive government support.

They will each receive 10 to 30 million won in accordance with the length of the performance and judges' review scores. It is the first of its kind for the government to support Korean artists for the festival.

The six works are ``Woyzeck,'' ``Binari,'' ``Somewhere Else,'' ``Spin Odyssey,'' ``Break Out'' and ``The Voice of Things - Toilet Paper.''

A scene from ``Woyzeck,'' Sadari Movement Laboratory's new interpretation on Georg Buchner's play

Georg Buchner's ``Woyzeck'' is regarded as one of the most enigmatic and influential works in the modern theatrical arena.

The Sadari Movement Laboratory has attempted to create a new dynamic interpretation of the play that illuminates the original's hidden potential while advancing a new language in a physical theater.

Using wooden chairs as a changeable metaphor, the performers both shape the dramatic space and reveal the characters' emotional states.

Also, Astor Piazzola's dynamic tango becomes the throbbing pulse of the drama.

``Binari-The Spirit of the Beat'' presented by Dulsori literally means ``appealing the anxious heart to a supernatural being.''

Binari is often thought of as a song played with various repertoires.

The Korean troupe reinterprets this ancient theme with its own color.

It revives an ancient ritual that used to be held at the beginning of a festival celebrating the forces of nature.

The performance kicks off with audience participants in front of the stage curtains.

Then, actual performance flows in accordance with smoothly synchronized beating of big drums.

The performers mirror the atmosphere of a thunderstorm as they make their drums mutter and grumble.

Improvised drumming, which follows the performance, captivates audiences enjoying heart-throbbing pounding drums and rousing vocals.

An off-stage banquet follows the end of the show.

``Break Out'' begins with a mysterious ancient text that falls from outer space, right into the shady confines of a prison and the inmates are left to uncover its secrets.

As they turn the pages of the book, they are introduced to incredible stories, traveling through time from Ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages, into the Twentieth Century, right up to the present day.

Printed within the pages of the book are images of B-boys dancing and then suddenly they come to life.

Then, a fun-packed, mad-cap adventure through history unfolds, as nuns, nurses and five break-dancing villains team up for the craziest jail break of all time.

``Spin Odyssey'' is a feature-length work of narrative dance theatre fusing spectacular street dancing and side-splitting comedy, starring ``Last For One,'' the world-famous B-boy team from Korea.

The story is roughly based on, and liberally adapted from, the epic Greek poem, ``Odyssey.''

It falls into the tradition of recent productions from Korea like ``Cookin'' and ``Jump'' that take the art forms of cooking and martial arts, respectively, and turn them into bona fide theatre, showing similar patterns with ``B-boying.''

During the festival, a promotional event titled ``Fringe Korea'' will be held on Aug. 21 to promote Korean performances.

``So far, many Korean individual productions taking part in the festival have experienced trials and errors due to the lack of support by the government,'' Chang Hyun-ju, an official of the state-run Korea Arts Management Service, said.

``This project is expected to help Korean artists make inroads onto overseas stages,'' Chang said.

The international performance festival is held in Scotland every August. This year the festival turns 61. A total of 18,626 performers from across the globe will put 2,050 works onto the stage in 250 theatres in the city.