극단 신세계 'Gongju(孔主)deul 2020' Encore Performance

August 4-9 at Daehakro Acro Arts Theater Small Theater

'Gongju (孔主) 2020' performance scene
[Photo by Theater Company Shinsesang]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Theater company Shinsesang will hold an encore performance of 'Gongju (孔主)deul 2020' from August 4 to 9 at the Arko Arts Theater Small Theater in Daehangno, Seoul.

'Gongju (孔主)deul 2020' was performed last June at the Arko Arts Theater Small Theater in Daehangno, but the number of performances was reduced in accordance with the government's strengthened social distancing guidelines in the metropolitan area due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). 'Gongju (孔主)deul 2020' will hold an encore performance as part of the Korea Arts Council's Performing Arts Mid- to Long-term Creation Support Project. As soon as ticket reservations for the encore performance began on the 16th, all seats for six performances sold out within seven minutes, confirming the audience's enthusiastic interest.

The play 'Gongju (孔主)deul 2020' is a story about holes (gong 孔), masters (ju 主), and the masters of holes. It reads the 100-year history of sexual exploitation in Korea from the 1900s to today through the protagonist 'Kim Gongju,' covering topics such as Japanese military 'comfort women' - Korean military 'comfort women' - U.S. military 'comfort women' - Vietnam Korean military civilian massacres - gisaeng tourism - gathering places - modern prostitution - and the Nth Room case. The play focuses on unofficial history rather than official history, exposing the 'continuity of sexual exploitation' in Korea through historical facts that we did not know or ignored, and reexamines our current lives. At the same time, it questions who the perpetrators of sexual exploitation are, not the victims, and who made them commit sexual exploitation.

The play 'Gongju (孔主)deul' premiered in 2018 at Theater Experiment Lab Hyehwa-dong 1st Street and was revived in 2019 as an official selection of the 40th Seoul Theater Festival. At the 40th Seoul Theater Festival, it won the 'Excellence Award,' 'Audience Evaluation Group Popularity Award Audience Medal,' and 'Best New Actor Award (Yang Jeong-yoon as Kim Gongju).' 'Gongju (孔主)deul' has presented new perspectives and raised questions every year. In 2018, it looked into the history of prostitution in Korea through Kim Gongju's life; in 2019, it questioned our attitudes and positions in observing and listening to Kim Gongju's life, as well as the victimhood of coerced parties; and in 2020, it aims to show that Kim Gongju's life is not different from our own.

The encore performance of the play 'Gongju (孔主)deul 2020' will implement a 'distanced seating system' and comply with COVID-19 prevention measures such as temperature checks and mandatory mask-wearing upon entering the theater.

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