World’s Nat’l Theaters to Gather in Seoul

“The Tempest,” directed by renowned film director Tsui Hark and presented by Taiwan’s Contemporary Legend Theater, will be staged from Sept. 4 to 6 as the opening performance of the World Festival of National Theaters at the National Theater of Korea.

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Twenty-five works from the national theaters of nine countries will take part in the 3rd annual World Festival of National Theaters in Seoul from Sept. 4 to Nov. 4.

This year, a greater diversity of programs is to be introduced in an effort to further cultural exchanges between the national theaters from various countries such as Taiwan, France, Italy, Belgium, the Philippines, Russia, Brazil, Norway and Korea.

``This year, the festival turns three years old. The first and second festivals focused mostly on dramas. But this year's festival features more from various genres such as ballet, classical music and opera as well as drama,'' said Lim Youn-chul, president of the National Theater of Korea, in a press conference.

He said that the festival is designed to raise awareness about the role of the national theater by exploring the work of national theaters from various countries. ``We're not only inviting the world's top-notch troupes to perform here but also planning to send our resident companies to other countries for cultural exchanges,'' he said.

The president added that from next year, the theater will invite more countries from the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa to showcase diverse performances.

Taiwan's Contemporary Legend Theater's performance of ``The Tempest,'' directed by New Wave film director Tsui Hark, will be staged as the opening performance from Sept. 4-6 at the National Theater of Korea, the festival's main venue.

William Shakespeare's original play will be reborn in the style of Peking Opera, mixing dramatic and musical elements and starring Wu Hsing-kuo.

The production premiered in Taipei in 2004 and was reprised there two years later as part of the theater's 20th anniversary season. The production also features costumes by Oscar-winning designer Tim Yip. The director will appear for the Korean audience on stage during the curtain call in the opening performance.

``La Cagnotte,'' presented by France's National Theater of Strasbourg, will deliver a unique show to the Korean audience, accompanied by live performance piano, contra bass and percussion. The comical play features an impressive stage set that is built on stage during the performance, using seats from the audience. The play will be on stage from Sept. 9-12.

Belgian troupe Dame de Pic's ``Holeulone'' is a creation of choreographer Karine Ponties and graphic artist Thierry Van Hasselt set to the music of Dominique Pauwels. The show develops the bond between movement and image, aided by the use of animation film.

The piece delves into the inner world of a troubled man, the changing rhythms of his thoughts, his real and imaginary memories and the clarity and confusion of his perceptions. At one juncture, his twin appears ― a kind of inner historian so similar to himself that he becomes unbearable. The performance is based on Daniel Keyes' novel ``The Flowers for Algernon,'' published in 1959.

The two dancers fight with themselves and with each other, interlacing and surrendering. The complex intimacy of the duo is projected not only through their physicality but also through the accompanying animated images. The performance will be on stage from Sept. 18-20.

Also, ``Rainbow,'' presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will be staged from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1. The show marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Korea. The traditional folk dance troupe Ramon Obusan Folkloric will bring the ethnic costumes, dances and music of various tribes living on 7,100 islands.

The Russian Kremlin Palace Ballet Theatre will perform ``Esmeralda'' for the first time in Korea. Based on Victor Hugo's ``Hunchback of Notre Dame,'' the tale of the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda and the hunchback Quasimodo in 15th-century Paris, the new ballet is set in Notre Dame cathedral. It was first performed as the ballet ``La Esmeralda'' in 1844.

The ballet was created by artistic director Andrei Petrov and took five years to choreograph. It is the only ballet adapting the complete work of Hugo and the only copyright owner of the ballet version, ``Notre-Dame de Paris."

The show exhibits the sense of harmony of traditional ballet and also applies new dance movements to show the inner conflict of the characters. The show will be on stage from Oct. 8-10.

Brazil's National Symphony Orchestra of Claudio Santoro will perform on Oct. 20-21, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Korea. The orchestra, led by conductor Ira Levin, will feature Michael Colina's ``Los Caprochos,'' Mendelssohn's Symphony no. 5 op. 107, ``The Reformation," Villa Lobos' ``Bachianas Brasileiras no. 4,'' and P. Tchaikovsky's ``Francesca da Rimini op. 32.''

Also, Norwegian Soul and Music ― Dream will take the stage Oct. 28 to present poet Olav Hauge's poems and add soulful elements to traditional and contemporary music.

Korea's adaptation of ``The Red Cliff" and ``The Three Sisters'' are to be included as the official invitation program.

The National Theater of Korea hosted the first year of the international festival in 2007 to widen cultural exchanges between the national theaters of different countries and enhance global recognition of domestic performances.

The organization's resident companies ― The National Drama Company of Korea, National Dance Company of Korea, National Changgeuk Company of Korea and the National Orchestra of Korea ― will take part in the festival with their representative repertoires.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr