Seoul Theater Festival marred by venue problems

Park Jang-ryul, center, president of the Seoul Theater Association, shaves his head along with other executives of the association in a protest against the Arko Arts Theater’s sudden closure at a press conference in front of the theater in Daehangno, Seoul, Monday. The Arko Arts Theater’s main theater is usually home to the Seoul Theater Festival, organized by the Seoul Theater Association. / Yonhap

Arts Council Korea suddenly closes festival’s main venue

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The 36th Seoul Theater Festival (STF) opened on April 4 with a variety of plays, but the festivities have been overshadowed by a feud revolving around the festival's main venue.

With the theme of "Theater is the soul and hope of the times," the festival aims to promote theatrical works reflecting the spirit of the time, but the thespians faced a closure of the Arko Arts Theater, the venue for its opening and closing plays, in the midst of the festival this year.

Established in 1977 as the Korea Theater Festival, the STF is the oldest performing arts festival in Korea dedicated to plays. The festival has been a staple of the Arko Arts Theater in Seoul's small Daehangno theater district since its inauguration, and theatergoers routinely associate the festival and the theater as spring arrives.

However, the STF failed the screening process for the theater's yearly rental in November for the first time in the festival's history, which was the beginning of the dispute.

The Arts Council Korea (ARKO), the government agency operating the Arko Arts Theater, said the festival's documents lacked detailed information and thus it was eliminated from consideration. The STF strongly opposed the disqualification and even filed complaints against ARKO. Elderly thespians sided with the festival's importance and longtime history, which eventually forced ARKO to reconcile with the festival by offering the venue.

Their dispute seemed to be over with that conciliatory gesture, but was re-ignited when the Arko Arts Theater notified the STF that it had to bar access to the theater for safety reasons from April 13 to May 17, saying two motor parts were found to be faulty so all of the motors there have to be inspected.

Three plays were scheduled to be performed at the main theater of the Arko Arts Theater through May 10 and the Seoul Theater Association (STA), which hosts the annual theater festival, protested against this unexpected closure of the venue.

STA president Park Jang-ryul, who shaved his head in protest against the theater closing during a press conference Monday, said the organization will sue the ARKO for obstruction of business.

"The ARKO notified us only through official correspondence and phone calls, as if we do not actually exist. They treated thespians like displaced people," Park said.

ARKO officials said they are sorry for the unexpected closure of the venue and will cooperate with the STF to best accommodate their requirements caused by the change.

"We understand that our main hall is one of the largest and best equipped theaters in the heart of the Daehangno area, and nothing could completely replace it. We offered other theaters we manage as substitutes, but the STF broke off the discussion and boycotted all of our venues," an ARKO official said.