The Collective presents Stories From Below
2019-06-25(코리아타임스)
By Celeste Kriel
Seoul-based expat theater company The Collective will put on a one-day creative showcase featuring a diverse array of art forms at Emu Artspace, June 29. Following the success of their acclaimed main stage production of "Romeo and Juliet" ― reimagined as taking place in a matriarchal society ― last winter, "Stories from Below: A Collective Arts Festival" is the very first event of its kind for the company and its inaugural year will center around the theme of rebirth.??
Founded in November 2017 by Seoul-based theater makers Kim Schroeder from South Africa, Ray Salcedo from the U.S. and Alameen Saidu from Nigeria, The Collective was birthed from a desire to bring underrepresented artists from different fields together and give life to their work in the spirit of intersectional collaboration and community-building. Ally Saval joined the team last year.
While the showcase in and of itself is a means to deliver on their collaborative aims, it is also a fundraiser for their main stage production in December. The festival is a platform for creatives in the community to come together in the name of storytelling, and to share what they have created with the rest of the expat community.
Emu, which boasts a basement gallery and performance space, a book cafe, rooftop and an intimate outdoor garden stage, is the perfect backdrop to bring together various art mediums such as theater, live music and visual art for the day.
The festival kicks off at 3 p.m. with an art exhibition by local and international visual artists Annami, Annie Hong, Ray Salcedo, and Teri Thompson, while London-born DJ MONIKA will set the mood with a live DJ set. Other performances will follow from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. starting with standup comedy from the event's host, Queenie. The event will also showcase short plays, drag performances, spoken word poetry, short films and live original music.
There will also be raffle prizes and “goodies” for visitors. But Saval told The Korea Times, “It's the sheer amount of talent on display that is going to blow everyone's minds.”
Saidu agreed: "We are so incredibly honored to be working with this group of artists at the top of their game in our community.”
He sang the praises of drag artists Pluto, Nix and Tea, as well as vocalists Whitney Sol, Esther Joy Sullivan, all of whom will be gracing the stage.
In the spirit of collaboration, expat poetry group Wordsmiths is teaming up with Spoken P.M. ― a Korean group ― to open the second half of the show with a spoken-word performance. Another poet and performer Rosemary Ama Fausah Frimpong Manso will be starring in a one-woman show titled “A'ma Rose”?― a theater piece created using poetry from Manso's book “Weeping Willow” and crafted into a narrative, telling the story of a journey through womanhood. The director of the show, Schroeder, describes it as “a brief glimpse through Rose-colored lenses that will take you on a short, but heartfelt journey.”
“Soledad,” a play starring and written by Saidu which took home first prize at last year's Seoul Players 10-Minute Play Festival, will be staged as well. “This will be an opportunity for people who missed it last year to come see the winning performance that so many people are still talking about,” play director Salcedo said.
Entrance is 20,000 won at the door. Visit
for directions and more information.