[On Stage] Writing Scripts and Acting... Han Songhee "Acting Is Still What I Want to Do Well"

In the play 'Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis,' actor and writer
"Started as an actor, deeply passionate about acting"... 'Future's Summer' performance in the second half of the year

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] "What I want to do better is still acting."

Actress Han Songhee works as both a playwright and an actor. She is currently performing as Hera in the play Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, which opened on the 29th of last month at Daehangno Content Ground. She also wrote the script for Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis.

Han Songhee has written four works so far, starting with Seoul People in 2012, which tells the stories of people from eight provinces living in Seoul.

Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis premiered in early 2016. The small theater Sanwoollim annually reinterprets and presents classical literature through its Sanwoollim Classical Theater, and the 2016 theme was Greek drama.

"I thought about interpreting Greek mythology in a modern way. Many stories in the myths seem absurd from today's perspective. I wanted to incorporate those unbelievable stories as they are."

Actress Han Song-hee is performing as 'Hera' in the play 'Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis.'
Photo by Creative Group LAS

Thus, the play featuring the three goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Artemis as protagonists was completed. Hera is Zeus's wife. Aphrodite and Artemis are Zeus's daughters, but not Hera's. Also, Aphrodite and Artemis do not share the same mother. It is literally a messy family situation.

In the play, the three goddesses freely discuss life and love like friends. They boldly reinterpret familiar mythological stories using the language of today's women. Aphrodite, as the goddess of love, sleeps with several male gods of Olympus.

When Artemis, unable to understand, scolds her by asking, "Why do you live like that?" Aphrodite casually replies, "So what?" Artemis and Aphrodite have completely opposite personalities, and Hera is exhausted by her husband Zeus's infidelities. The audience bursts into laughter continuously.

Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis had an encore performance following its premiere at Sanwoollim Classical Theater in 2016, thanks to audience support. It also won the Best Playwright Award at the Seoul Theater Awards.

Last year, Han Songhee also wrote the script for Juliet and Juliet, a play that twists Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Han Songhee played Juliet Montegue, who falls in love at first sight with Juliet Capulet. Juliet and Juliet was performed at the 2018 Sanwoollim Classical Theater.

"Director Lee Gippeum of the creative group LAS provided the idea. At that time, the theme of Sanwoollim Classical Theater was Shakespeare. Director Lee suggested doing Juliet and Juliet during a drinking session, and I said I would write the script. Both of us have long been interested in LGBTQ+ rights. When we replaced Romeo and Juliet's love with Juliet and Juliet's love, we thought it could be a story about social hatred and backlash."

Actor Han Song-hee
Photo by Creative Group LAS

Wouldn't it be easier if she wrote the script and acted herself? Han Songhee said, "If I write the script and act, I know the writer's intention well, so I don't need to analyze the script for a long time." However, she added, "Even if it's my own writing, embodying it as an actor is a completely different field, so it's not much different from acting in another writer's work. I actually try harder to look at the script without prejudice."

Although she consistently writes scripts, her main profession is acting. Han Songhee said she is more passionate about acting than playwriting. "I started as an actor first and have spent more time studying acting. Acting has been my dream since I was very young, so my affection for it is much deeper. I want to do better, and it is also more agonizing. However, I don't want to limit my activities as a writer. I want to use what I have to write better works."

In the second half of this year, she plans to stage Summer of the Future, which she wrote in 2015. It will be her first performance in five years since 2015.

"The play is in the form of the protagonist Imirae recalling her past. It recalls the summer vacation when 11-year-old Imirae realizes that her 'adult friend,' her aunt 'Donga,' who was very close to her in childhood, is seen as a somewhat 'strange person' from the adults' perspective. It is a story about the process of growing apart from an adult who was very intimate in childhood. It is a warm and clear story, reflecting much of my personal childhood, and it is the work I cherish and love the most."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.