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Touch rugby starts in Seoul

By Bridget Tunnicliffe Around 100 competitors turned out for the first touch rugby tournament of the 2010 series on Saturday, marking a strong start to the sports' fourth season in Korea. Men and women of all ages enjoyed a day of sport and socializing at Seoul's Jamwon rugby pitch under some genuine rays of summer sun. It was a fairly predictable final as last year's season winners, the Three Alley Dutch Rudders side faced off against the Survivors. The Survivors pushed them but the Rudders, with a bit of extra speed eventually won 3-1. For the past two years, the Rudders side, made up of solely New Zealand players, have dominated. But Survivors' captain, Nathan Atkins, 26, believes the Rudders are beatable. ``Yesterday, we actually had a weaker than usual squad because many of our boys were in Gumi playing rugby. I believe this year we can knock them off their mantle,'' he said. Touch rugby has come a long way in the short time it's been in Korea. Four years ago, a small group of ex-pats, mostly New Zealand, Australian, and English folks who came from rugby lov

Foreignline

Tea-Making and Temple Stay A tour to Hwaom Temple, Mt. Jiri, lead by Brother Anthony of the Royal Asiatic Society, will take place on the weekend of May 29 to 30. Hwaom Temple is one of the oldest temples in Korea, founded in 544. It is one of several temples that claim to be the place where tea was first planted in Korea. Korea's green tea is only dried in April and May, when the fresh shoots are full of flavor, and this tour offers a chance to experience what is involved in drying tea the traditional way, by hand. The group will pick fresh shoots used for tea-making and be provided with a batch of leaves picked by professionals that morning. The rest of the afternoon will be spent drying freshly picked tea leaves under the guidance of an experienced tea maker. The evening will be spent back at the hermitage, tasting tea, learning how to brew tea and talking about the Korean way of tea. Silence and lights-out comes early, at 9 p.m. Accommodation will be in Korean-style dormitories in the main temple. Facilities are simple but reasonably modern. Guests ar

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Activists Come Together in Seoul

By J.R. Breen Contributing Writer Protests, seminars, rallies and prayer vigils will be held throughout this week to promote human rights and freedom for the North Korean population. From last Sunday, North Korean defectors and activists have been meeting for North Korea Freedom Week 2010 in Seoul, which continues until May 1. "Our hope is that North Korea Freedom Week will empower the 17,000-strong North Korean defectors in South Korea," said Suzanne Scholte, head of North Korea Freedom Coalition (NKFC), in a press release. "And inform all who are suffering north of the DMZ that we will work together until the day their freedom, human rights and dignity are realized." North Korea Freedom Week was first established by the NKFC in 2004 as a single day to bring together public support in the United States for the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004. This is the first year it has been held outside of America. "Many of the North Korean defectors we hosted for North Korea Freedom Week in Washington, D.C., these past six years will now be taking the lead and working

Irish Play ‘Stones in His Pockets’ Countinues Run

By Alan Green Contributing Writer ``Stones in His Pockets,'' the latest production from BH Productions, will be performed in Seoul, from April 22 through May 16 at Vin Vino, in Itaewon, and will then transfer to Busan for performances on May 21 and 22 at Ol' 55, Kyungsung University. An internationally acclaimed play, the work was written by Belfast-born writer Marie Jones. It was a hit in Dublin, enjoyed four successful years in the West End, a sensational run on Broadway and a sell-out world tour. BH Productions is staging the play for the first time in Korea in English. It won the Irish Times/ESB Award for Best Production in 1999, two Olivier Awards in 2001 and was also nominated for three Tony Awards in 2001. It is a hilarious and irresistible two-man show about the filming of a Hollywood epic in rural Ireland. Two extras in the movie, Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn, tell the story themselves by taking on all the film's roles. The comedy is set in a rural town in County Kerry, Ireland, that is overrun by a Hollywood film crew. The story centers

Foreignline

'Auditions for ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ This weekend, the Camarata Music Company (CMC) is holding auditions for their spring musical, ``The Pirates of Penzance.'' Auditions will be held on Sunday and Monday, and rehearsals will begin on the weekend of May 8-9. The first performance will be on June 5. The performance is for a summer camp for multi-cultural children, put on by Seoul National University of Education's Department for Multicultural Affairs. There will be a second, and possibly a third performance scheduled on weekends in mid to late June. Along with stage performers, CMC say they are looking for musicians and a small orchestra, as well as stagehands, and behind the scenes workers. All roles are available. Singing and acting experience is preferred, but is not a requirement. One song should be prepared for the audition; something that shows your ability. There will also be script reading. A pianist will be provided for the audition. Contact Ryan at 010-9806-8655 or goesslry@gmaill.com for an audition time. Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Next T

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