Since the play ended

By Kim Sun-ae

What affected me most this year was my participation in a drama program for amateurs. At the opening ceremony of the program, all the participants introduced themselves. We all had something in common. We had difficulties in our lives but shared a will to move beyond these.

In the first class, our teacher said, “Make short movements that express your feelings.” We each performed everyday movements for activities such as writing or doing laundry. Then we divided ourselves into groups of five, and each group performed their own movement in turn. And then a curious thing happened.

When music played and rhythms appeared in the movements, everybody’s movements were beautiful. Even a motion that expresses suffering ― beating one’s own breast ― was beautiful. Also, our movements changed, affecting other people around us. The music and relationships among people transformed ordinary movements into scenes in a movie. It was like magic.

For five months from summer to late autumn, we learned acting from a director and actors. We would have only one performance at the end of the course, so I wanted to do my best.

Life is unpredictable. One day, only two weeks before our performance, the participant who played opposite me left due to unavoidable circumstances. So a professional actor who taught us acting became my partner instead. The teacher guided us with patience and passion although he worked for nearly 12 hours a day. His encouraging words before a rehearsal, “Let’s listen deeply to each other and concentrate,” touched me.

The process of preparing a play was facing life. While practicing, I faced myself and paid attention to my own thoughts rather than to the other person when he spoke. I looked back at myself and thought about what I wanted, rather than trying to understand the other person.

What would it be to understand someone? Would it not be knowing the causes of the person’s words and behavior and doing what I can at the moment for the person’s happiness?

The role I played in our play was that of a hiker who lost love and suffered but found a new love. When I first read the script, I couldn’t understand this character well. However, after reading it again and again, I came to understand her gradually. In everyday life too, if I am interested in the people I meet and open-minded about them, would I not be able to understand them more little by little?

Watching the actors in our rehearsal, I felt compassion for humans. Everyone was making their best efforts.

Even in this digital age, theater is still a human endeavor. We lend our props and costumes to one another, carry the set together, practice and spend much time interacting with other actors. And actors can stand on the stage thanks to the stagehands behind the scenes. We could put our play on the stage because of those who helped with various tasks such as sound control, lighting, make-up and ticketing.

I took part in the drama program to better know who we are through theater. While acting, I see myself and the other person change constantly. As an actor, I have come to understand that there is no fixed self ― everything, my body, thoughts and feelings, are ever-changing.

How has our play influenced us? How will it change us? In a new year, I would like to listen more deeply to each person I meet, with understanding.

The writer translates writings about agriculture and rural communities. Her blog address is https://blog.naver.com/dancinglf.