Performing Arts Exchange Market to Open
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Artists and performing arts professionals and businessmen from around the world will be able to buy and sell the rights to perform acts and shows at the third Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS) Oct. 9-14
The venue for the PAMS is the Korea Foundation Cultural Center, Arko Arts Theater, Sadari Arts Center and National Museum of Korea.
The event is aimed at promoting the distribution and circulation of the performing arts inside Korea as well as enhance international exchanges in the field.
The third annual market is hosted by PAMS 2007 Board of Directors, organized by the Korea Arts Management Service and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Korea Foundation Cultural Center.
More than 120 foreign and 1,800 Korean artists, producers, presenters, directors and programmers will take part in the event.
The arts market refers to a marketplace where artists and art organizations, suppliers of performing arts, producers, staff of theaters or events, and consumers of the arts, can buy or sell performing arts' works.
Before last year, a total of 71 performing groups were known by PAMS to have been sold for overseas stages.
This year, the PAMS, which was held first in 2005, will be held in association with the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM). IETM, established in 1981, is the largest European contemporary arts network ranging from contemporary dramas, choreography, music and visual arts to media arts.
Seoul is to host the IETM meeting, a strategic event designed to enhance networks in the performing arts field and take Korea's performing arts into the European market.
``At arts markets, sharing information on the international performance arts market and building networks of human resources are considered to be more important functions than actual exchanges of shows,'' said a PAMS organizer.
Some 400 institutes, festivals, art organizations, agents and theaters from 45 countries are members of the IETM meeting.
For the PAMS Choice each year, a total of 15 works have been selected. Three other works recommended by the Seoul Performing Arts Festival and Seoul International Dance Festival and affiliate festivals, were added to the list, thus making up a total of 18 works to be presented.
Among the chosen shows, eight are dance performances such as ``Pan Gut'' by Festive Land, ``Stuck in the Skin'' by Kim Pan-sun and ``Summer'' by UBIN Dance, confirming the trend that dance performances are presented abroad more often than other genres.
The eight selected dance performances are choreographed by directors of varying ages, from young to established choreographers.
However, less plays were selected this year compared to last but a variety of styles, such as an experimental play, a play about families, a traditional play and a monologue drama, are to be featured in the event.
``Hongdongji Play'' by the Wuturi Players and ``Yeoumjaengi Yussi (An Undertaker Mr. Yu)'' by Hangang Art Company are to be showcased.
As for music, which is a mixture of different genres, the performances that have already earned recognition for their quality and potential abroad have been picked out.
The works will be showcased for about 20 minutes each.
For more information, visit www.pams.or.kr.