[On Stage] "The Starting Point of the Minjuhwa Movement, I Wanted to Tell It Right"

Musical 'Samwol-ui Geudeul' Directed by Moon Jong-geun on the 60th Anniversary of the Masan 3·15 Uprising
Created After Reading an Article About a Shoeshiner Killed During the 3·15 Uprising
"Preparing a Work on the Bu-Ma Uprising... Also Planning a Hibakusha Piece Within 10 Years"

Musical 'Those of March' performance scene [Photo by Theater Company 'Gaekseokgwa Mudae']

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The musical 'Those of March,' which deals with the Masan 3·15 Uprising, was born from a small newspaper article read in 2009.

"It was an article from a local Masan newspaper about the March 15, 1960 event. It said that a shoeshiner named Oh Seong-won was buried; since he was from the lower class, no one performed the funeral rites for him. His shoeshiner friends buried him in a hill and prayed for his soul with two bottles of Makgeolli and one dried pollack. A girl was crying beside him. That was the content."

Thus, the musical 'Those of March,' which featured shoeshiners, the 'shine boys,' as the main characters, was created. The 3·15 Uprising was a large-scale protest in Masan, Gyeongnam, against the fraudulent March 15 election by the Syngman Rhee Liberal Party regime in 1960, which became the catalyst for the April 19 Revolution.

Director Moon Jong-geun (57) of 'Those of March' wanted to elevate the beautiful democratization spirit of the Masan region into an artistic work since his youth. "It was the starting point of the democratization movement, but people do not know it well. It needs to be shared, and I wanted to convey the meaning of that struggle."

Director Moon Jong-geun

'Those of March' was originally scheduled to be performed this year in Masan, Gwangju, and Seoul. The Gwangju performance was canceled due to budget issues, and the Seoul performance was completed last month at the Arko Arts Theater in Daehangno. The Masan performance scheduled for this month was canceled due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Instead, Masan MBC filmed the live performance at the Arko Arts Theater and will broadcast it on the 18th as a substitute.

Director Moon's hometown is Hapcheon. He finished high school in Jinju and attended university in Masan. His life path was decided while participating in a theater club during university. In 1986, when he was a junior in college, he founded the theater troupe 'Masan.' 'Masan' is still active in Masan today. Director Moon left 'Masan' in 2000 and founded a new troupe called 'Gekseokgwa Mudae' (Audience and Stage) the following year.

Since his university days, he had been contemplating a play about the 3·15 Uprising, and in 1995, a play based on the 3·15 event was created. The title was 'Ah! That Day of 3·15.'

"I worked hard, but my historical awareness was lacking, and I did not study properly. As a result, the completeness was quite low. Upon review, I realized that the driving force of history is the common people without any power, but I had viewed it too much from the perspective of the privileged."

The new play was created based on an article about shoeshiner Oh Seong-won and was performed in Masan in 2010. The title was 'When March Comes.' The format of the play was changed to a musical. "The subject matter was heavy, but I thought the form of theater itself was too rigid. I thought it should be a format that could approach the younger generation more easily and enjoyably. I thought a musical would be better than a play. Since it includes dance and songs, comedic elements can be added."

Then, ten years later, this year, 'When March Comes' was revised and supplemented to perform 'Those of March.' "Musicals require a lot of production costs, so it is burdensome for private troupes. There was a process of waiting for ten years."

'When March Comes' in 2010 was created with support from Masan City. This year's 'Those of March' is a work commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Masan 3·15 Uprising, organized by the 3·15 Uprising Commemoration Association and sponsored by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Changwon City.

Musical 'Samwol-ui Geudeul' Performance Photos
Photo by Theater Company 'Gaekseokgwa Mudae'

Director Moon has also been performing a 1 hour 30 minute play called 'Your History' since 2017. It is a play based on the diaries of martyr Oh Seong-won and Kim Ju-yeol. This year, it is scheduled to be performed in November.

Director Moon said he is preparing a play about the 1979 Bu-Ma Uprising, which protested against President Park Chung-hee's Yushin dictatorship. "Currently, a playwright is writing the script. It is still under consideration whether it will be a musical or a play."

Director Moon also said he definitely wants to create a work dealing with 'Hibakusha' in the future. Hibakusha refers to people who were conscripted during the Japanese colonial period and suffered atomic bomb damage. Hibakusha is also a story about Director Moon's hometown. "Among those conscripted during the Japanese colonial period, the largest number were from Gyeongnam. Especially many were from Hapcheon." In fact, the first medical facility for atomic bomb victims in Korea was established in Hapcheon. Director Moon said, "Since I am almost 60 years old, I have the thought that I must complete this work within ten years."

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