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| The National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) / Courtesy of NTCK |
By Park Ji-won
The National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) announced its 2022 play lineup, which includes a play adaptation of Han Kang's Man acclaimed novel "The Vegetarian," as well as new theatrical works reflecting contemporary social issues such as climate change, virtual reality, the disabled and feminism.
Stressing that the value of a play should be that it can be enjoyed by everyone equally, Kim Kwang-bo, the state-run theater company's artistic director appointed in November last year, said in a press release that "The NCTK put emphasis on forming the 2022 lineup so that directors with different backgrounds and characteristics can expand their worldviews."
Titled "Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika," written by American playwright Tony Kushner and directed by Shin Yoo-chung, this four-hour play will open the 2022 season and be performed from Feb. 25 to March 27, aiming to raise debates about politics, sexual minorities, religion and race that are also pressing issues in Korean society. "Part One" of the work runs through Dec. 26, and will be performed again during the same period as "Part Two."
From March to April, six plays will be unveiled with the theme of "disability and art," directed by three directors and six playwrights who worked together over the past year and were selected through an NTCK screening process.
In May, director Jeon Yoon-hwan, who has mainly released documentary theater works, will unveil his new work, "Climate Change Emergency: Rehearsal," reflecting on carbon emissions in its making.
In August, director Lee Yeon-joo will unveil Susan Sontag's play "Alice in Bed," which will focus on depicting the passion and grief of women through the perspective of the lead, Alice, who is able to travel between reality and fantasy. In October, NTCK's artistic director will direct "Saint Joan" written by George Bernard Shaw, for the first time in three years. The NTCK's 2019 production of "Scapin," based on Moliere's "Scapin the Schemer," will also be presented in November.
The company will expand its cultural exchanges with overseas organizations. The NTCK will hold its 10th readers theater performance of Japanese contemporary plays in February and its fifth readers theater performance of Chinese plays in April. In September, the theatrical adaptation of "The Vegetarian," written by Han Kang, and "Strange Beauty," jointly produced by Theatre de Liege of Belgium, will be presented. The two shows will also be performed in Belgium.
"Pilgrimage of Siberia," jointly produced by the Asia Culture Center, will be presented in November. The play, written and directed by award-winning playwright Jung Jin-se, will focus on a person who follows the pilgrimage in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, backwards, while incorporating games and augmented reality as subject matter.
The NTCK is planning to expand its online theater service by adding more sign language services for some shows, while it will present some of the works in its 2022 lineup in eight cities.
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