'2020 Year of Theater' as a Venue for In-depth Research and Reflection

Sim Jae-chan Executive Director "I Will Strive to Improve and Develop the Theater Environment"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The '2020 Year of Theater' is being promoted as a platform for research and reflection to strengthen the internal foundation of the theater community rather than as a festival.

Shim Jae-chan, Executive Director of the '2020 Year of Theater,' said at a press conference held on the 20th at the Baek Seong-hee Jang Min-ho Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, "This year's Year of Theater carries a new meaning," adding, "We want to make it an opportunity to consider how to improve and develop the environment for theater performances."

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism designated the Year of Theater for the first time in 29 years since the Year of Theater and Film in 1991. At that time, many performances were held and it was organized like a festival. However, this year, the meaning of festival and performance in the 'Year of Theater' is reduced.

Executive Director Shim said, "The theater community has undergone many changes during a turbulent period over the past few years. Amid this, we spent about a year gathering various opinions from the theater community to understand what it means to welcome the 'Year of Theater.' Nineteen members from different generations who have worked on improving the theater performance environment formed the executive committee, focusing on how the performance industry should change and develop going forward."

Shim Jae-chan, Executive Committee Chairman of the '2020 Year of Theater,' is giving a greeting at a press conference held on the 20th at the Baek Seong-hee Jang Min-ho Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

The 2020 Year of Theater Executive Committee is promoting 14 projects under three goals: 'safe creative environment, sustainable ecosystem creation, and diversification of audience communication.' The executive committee explained that these 14 projects bring together ongoing efforts to improve the theater environment into a public forum and aim to capture the voices of marginalized theater practitioners.

First, to ensure a safe creative environment, the 'Theater People Empathy 120' project is being promoted. It is a kind of 'call center' that listens to the problems faced by theater practitioners and aims to improve realistic welfare and working conditions. Additionally, a nationwide survey on the state of theater creative environments and a 'basic study for a fair compensation system' for performing artists' labor are being conducted, along with the 'Korea Theatre Standard' nationwide workshops to create a safe creative environment free from discrimination and violence.

To create a sustainable theater ecosystem, a nationwide youth theater network addressing youth discourse will be established. Round tables will be held in six regions nationwide to seek solutions to the concentration of the industry in the metropolitan area and the population decline of regional young theater practitioners. A 'National Theater Practitioners Gender Sensitivity Workshop' addressing gender sensitivity discourse will also be held in eight locations nationwide in the form of workshops and roundtable discussions.

For the 'diversification of audience communication,' projects that can meet both 'face-to-face' and 'non-face-to-face' will be promoted interactively. A theater docent training program will be implemented to create communication touchpoints with audiences. A generational empathy project for theater practitioners will also be prepared. This aims to resolve issues such as 'Me Too' and 'violence due to hierarchical order' that have surfaced in the theater community in recent years. The goal is to address these problems and stand confidently before audiences. A 'National Theater Practitioners Human Network Service_Theater Practitioner Job Matching App' will also be developed to improve the irregular hiring situation in the theater community and provide practical help to both theater practitioners and organizations seeking jobs.

The executive committee announced that the confirmed projects will be promoted within this year and the results will be reported upon completion.

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