21st Performing Arts Market in Seoul brings global creativity to Korea
A scene from UHEE Company's "Yeonhee Physics: The Quantum Ritual" / Courtesy of PAMS
Every October, Seoul pulses with creativity, dialogue and possibility as the Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS) returns. This year, the 21st edition of PAMS marks its 20th anniversary of promoting Korea’s performing arts on the international stage.
PAMS 2025 takes place from Oct. 14 to Nov. 9, running for a total of 27 days. The main segment, known as Market Focus, runs Tuesday to Friday, offering events and programs that highlight key themes and participants of this year’s edition.
The events have been scheduled across multiple major venues in Seoul, including the National Theater of Korea, Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, ARKO Arts Theater, Daehakro Arts Theater, SFAC Theater QUAD, TINC, Arts Theater at the Korea National University of Arts (Seokgwan-dong Campus), and Jindalrae Theater operated by the Gangbuk Cultural Foundation.
PAMS 2025 is co-hosted by the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS) and National Theater of Korea (NTOK), and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Arts Council Korea (ARKO).
In a greeting message, KAMS President Kim Jang-ho highlighted that over the past 20 years, PAMS has grown into a leading platform for the sustainable circulation of Korean performing arts both in Korea and abroad. Through numerous showcase stages, creators have discovered new possibilities, while a wide range of business meetings and exchange programs have enabled arts organizations and professionals to forge meaningful collaborations. These achievements have played a vital role in establishing a solid foundation for Korean performing arts to engage and interact with the world.
One of the anticipated shows is "Gyogam (Access)" by FORCE, Korea’s only robotic art circus, which will be staged at the NTOK’s Haneul Theater on Oct. 16. It brings together an industrial robot arm and circus performance to showcase interactions between humans and robots. The robot becomes more than a machine, acting as a performer, creating emotion and narrative alongside humans. Onstage, human vitality and mechanical precision merge, offering moments of both unfamiliarity and intimacy, boundaries and connection.
A scene from Lee Ja-ram's original pansori piece "Snow, Snow, Snow" / Courtesy of PAMS
A series of pitching sessions will take place from Wednesday to Saturday, introducing innovative works and ideas from performing arts groups and projects seeking international partners for touring, co-productions, residencies and various forms of collaboration. A total of 49 projects from Korea and abroad will be presented during these sessions, featuring performing artists from Korea, Canada, Australia, Spain and Colombia.
Among the participants is 5AngryMen, a legendary Australian performance company renowned for its bold, genre-defying outdoor works that blend physical theater, public installation and ritual. Their captivating shows are staged in public spaces, town squares, parks and streets, attracting audiences from all walks of life.
Their featured piece, "The BELLS," is a one-of-a-kind performance that unites audiences through shared experience. Through this pitching session, 5AngryMen hopes to engage in meaningful discussions with programmers, producers and artistic directors from arts and music festivals across Asia, South America and Europe, about bringing their show to new international audiences.
For this year’s 20th anniversary, PAMS aims to revitalize Korea’s performing arts market by showcasing a wide range of outstanding performances, actively collaborating with major events and organizations around the world, and conducting a nationwide integrated promotion campaign for the performing arts.
Visit pams.or.kr for more information.
Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He’s also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative, and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.