Cast, crew join hands to support depressed theater industry
From left, Korea Arts Management Service President Kim Do-il, actress Kim So-hyun, music director Kim Moon-jeong and pansori performer Kim Jun-su pose for a photo after a press conference encouraging safe theater experiences at Dalgaebi in central Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of PRM
By Kwon Mee-yoo
"This year we've been unable to see any further than our own nose," Kim Jun-su, a pansori performer and member of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, said about 2020, which has been difficult for many people including performing artists.
"Some of my friends (in the performing arts industry) work for delivery companies to make a living while rehearsing for performances," he said.
Kim played Grand Prince Suyang in the recently finished changgeuk "A Father's Path," which was originally scheduled for February but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"When we stage a performance, we prepare and rehearse for months. Earlier this year, we faced cancellations just ahead of the opening, throwing both performers and audiences who anticipated the show into despair. Months have passed and we still struggle with this uncertainty as while we are rehearsing, we still we don't know whether our show will go on or not," Kim said.
A talented pansori performer, Kim has been on stage since he was young and performing has been a huge part of his life.
"As I lost my livelihood due to the pandemic, it made me go back to the basics when I'm on stage," he said. “I have taken part in some online performances this year, but the sense of realism experienced at the theater cannot be replaced by online viewing. I hope to meet audiences in person with safety measures for COVID-19 in place.”
To help the suffering theater industry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is providing discount coupons for cultural activities, including cinema and tourism. For theater, those who apply can receive an 8,000 won worth discount for four tickets. The discount coupon is available for those who have a mobile number in Korea, regardless of nationality, for confirmation purposes.
An image promoting theater discount coupons distributed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Captured from Interpark
Over 460,000 coupons were distributed in three weeks after its launch and the theater industry hopes to gain momentum ahead of its year-end peak season.
According to data from the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS), Korea's theater industry is recovering slowly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of performances in October was 751, jumping from 358 in September.
As the social distancing measures were lowered to Level 1 recently, theaters were allowed to sell all seats without social distancing measures starting last weekend. The effect was almost immediate and the weekly sales for the first week of November surged 26 percent from the average weekly sales in October.
Korea is one of the few countries that has live performances going on, while the world's largest theater districts such as Broadway have had their lights off for months.
"Over 3 million audience members have come to theaters, but there has been not a single case of COVID-19 infection in theaters, as theaters take disinfection measures and audiences comply with regulations of wearing masks and refraining from speaking or eating in the theater,” Korea Arts Management Service President Kim Do-il said.
"It does not mean that Korean theaters are absolutely safe, but we will do our best to keep theaters safe from COVID-19 and this campaign is to encourage people to maintain safe practices in theaters environment and find consolation in art."