Weekender Musical, incubated
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Some 120 seats of a small theater in CJ Azit in Mapo District, Seoul, were filled with an audience who came to see the reading of the musical “The Goddess Is Watching of You” on April 25. There were not only ordinary spectators but also directors, producers and investors on the floor.
The eight actors sat in a row of simple black chairs in front of a music stand. They sometimes held the script and read it. There were not many props, but the actors portrayed a tense, but humorous situation during the Korean War (1950-53) when six soldiers — four from the North and two from the South — were isolated on an uninhabited island along with an imaginary “goddess.”
The musical is the virgin work of scriptwriter Han Jung-suk, 28, and composer Lee Sun-young, 28, supported by the CJ Creative Minds program which was launched in 2010. The April performance was a reading, a process in development.
Han is a graduate of the Department of Creative Writing at Chung-Ang University and Lee worked as an assistant music director in major productions including “Don Juan” and “The Sorrows of Young Werther.” However, they are both new to writing and composing for a musical.
“There were only a script, music and imagination before, but it became a reality now. The staff members and actors are like the ‘goddess’ to me,” Lee said after the reading.
The audiences were also excited to participate in the process of musical making. Kim Joo-hee, a spectator, said it was a fresh experience to attend the reading. “There are not many musicals about the Korean War, but this unraveled the confrontation of the two conflicting parties in a balanced way. The latter part was a bit loose, but I hope to eventually see this on stage as a regular performance soon,” she said.
Organized by the CJ Culture Foundation, the program aims to nurture young creators of musicals and help them stage their works. “The Korean musical market is growing and the topic is obviously homegrown musicals. The CJ Creative Minds aims to develop young, new writers and composers and to introduce them to producers and investors,” Kim Seon-ah, manager of the program, told The Korea Times.
With a budget of 500 million won, the foundation covers all the expenses for renting the rehearsal space, music recording, casting actors and even promoting the performance. They also monitor the musical and provide expert comments, but the copyright belongs to the writer and the composer. All they want from the creators is for them to concentrate on making a good musical to bring a breath of fresh air into Korean homegrown musicals.
The reading is not an end. “We continuously review the work and make connections with producers and investors, so the work can be staged as a proper show,” Kim said.
Nurturing young creators
The CJ Creative Minds just finished its first season, putting six readings on stage from last November through April. The first four works were recommended by experts and later they opened a public competition.
The program started with “Moby Dick,” a book written by Cho Yong-shin with music composed by Chung Yeo-kyung. Based on Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick,” this is the first try of an actor-musician musical in Korea. In “Moby Dick,” actors play musical instruments, such as the piano, violin, cello, double base and percussion, themselves and the instruments become a part of the actor, expressing the character.
Cho is a renowned musical critic in Korea and artistic director of the CJ Creative Minds program. He ventured to offer the first reading with his own work.
“CJ Creative Minds is a down-scale process of staging a musical from scratch — writing the script, composing the music, casting the actors, rehearsing, reading in front of small audiences, doing workshops and finding producers or investors,” he said.
Unlike other support programs, CJ Creative Minds invites the general audience to the reading. “A musical is a commercial art form and reaction from the audience is essential. That’s why I thought we would open the reading to general audiences,” Cho said.
“Moby Dick” is a successful example of the program as it will be staged formally at the Doosan Art Center in July. Five other shows have also been contacted by producers and investors and some of them might be on stage next year.
Cho said current Korean homegrown musicals are created on demand by producers. “The producers hire writers and composers to make musicals the market wants,” he said. “First, we have to train the creators to meet such needs. Moreover, the creators could present the story and music they want to ultimately show and find producers and investors.”
He added that the musical is the most successful and favorite genre among artistic performances in Korea. “I hope this program would create an environment conducive for young artists to introduce the musicals they want,” he said.
New musicals in the making
Four new musicals, selected through a contest in March, are now in the making for readings in the latter half of the year. The program does not require a completed script or music, but just a treatment in the hope of discovering a diamond in the rough.
“Lee Chae,” a story about a young man who poses as a prince of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) under Japanese colonial rule and how he grows up, will kick off a second season soon.
Han Jae-eun, the writer of “Lee Chae,” has no experience in scriptwriting. She majored in English education in college and worked at a publishing company.
“I liked watching musicals and became a graduate student majoring in performing arts,” Han said. “I like to create things. I feel satisfied when I make something I like. I like musical and I wanted to make my own.”
She said the idea of “Lee Chae” hit her some three years ago. “I told the story to my friends and they liked it,” Han said. To make her dream come true, she met a composer and developed the script slowly.
“The CJ Creative Minds program does not want a complete a piece of work, but help newbies in the making process. I thought this would be an excellent chance for us,” she said.
Han is busy writing the script for July’s reading. “I hope to complete it by May and revise it for a month after reviews,” she said. “The best part of the program is experts’ review on the work and constant reminder of the deadline.”
Lee Min-hee, producer of CJ Azit, said the program would better support creators based on the experience with previous development.
“Since most writers and composers have great ideas but have no experience in the field, we help match them with veteran directors and musical directors,” she said. “We will also strengthen the review and the mentoring system.”
“Hello, Fine Day,” a road musical of a husband and mother-in-law looking for the wife, will stage a reading in August and “Avocato,” a romantic comedy jumping back and forth between 1996 and 2010 will follow in September. Last but not least, a classical juke box musical “Clara,” featuring the love story among Schumann, Brahms and his wife Clara will be staged on October.
Moby Dick (Nov. 15, 2010)
Book by Cho Yong-shin and music by Chung Yea-kyung
An actor-musician musical based on Herman Melville’s novel of the same name. Actors play the musical instruments, such as violin, cello, double base and trumpet, themselves, while acting characters including the captain Ahab, his colleagues Ishmael, Starbuck and even Moby Dick, the white whale.
Love in Hypnosis (Dec. 27-28, 2010)
Book by Min Jun-ho and music by Kim Jong-min
The musical shows a psychotherapeutic process of a man who gives up his new love because he cannot get over his previous relationships. To show the conflict between an ego which wants to pull out the grievance and another ego trying to control such urge more clearly, two actors play each ego of the protagonist.
Addiction (Jan. 24-25, 2011)
Book by Yi Su-jin and music by Naomi Lee
“Addiction” is an omnibus musical featuring episodes related to addiction — from daily addictions such as smoking and coffee to obsession with singers or one-sided love. The musical takes a form of a song cycle, expressing the poems of Choi Seung-ja through music.
Li Tsin (Feb. 16, 2011)
Book and music by Park Youn-young
“Li Tsin” tells a story of a Korean dancer married to a Frenchman for the first time for a Korean woman, dramatizing it with some fictional twists. The musical focuses more on Li’s adaptation to the new environment as a stranger and her internal growth.
Poong Wol Joo (March 28-29, 2011)
Book by Jeong Min-a and music by Park Ki-heon
“Poong Wol Joo,” which means the owner of wind and moon, is a love triangle between two male courtesans and Queen Jinseong during Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935 A.D.). The idea came from a phrase in “Hwarang Segi,” a historical record from Silla, saying the queen had three husbands and the author came up with the idea of male courtesans serving noblewomen.