New Play "Saenghwal Punggyeong" Premieres by Theater Company Shinsesgae

From the 18th to the 27th at Daehangno Dongyang Arts Theater 3 Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Theater company Shinsesang will premiere its 2020 new play Saenghwal Punggyeong (Everyday Scenery) from the 18th to the 27th at the Dongyang Arts Theater 3 in Daehangno.

Shinsesang announced that, given the difficult situation with social distancing raised to level 2.5, they plan to carry out the performance with thorough theater disinfection and safety measures. Shinsesang stated, "We will implement a 'distanced seating system' and enforce strengthened quarantine measures such as temperature checks upon theater entry, mandatory mask-wearing, and health questionnaires. However, depending on the future situation of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), there is a possibility of switching to online streaming, so we ask for the audience's understanding in advance." They also mentioned that rehearsals are being conducted in compliance with quarantine rules through online non-face-to-face practice and partial face-to-face practice with fewer than 10 people.

The play Saenghwal Punggyeong was created based on a residents' debate held several years ago regarding the establishment of a special school for the disabled in a district of Seoul that attracted much attention. It is known as the incident where parents of disabled children in the area knelt and pleaded with residents who wanted to establish a national Korean medicine hospital instead of the special school. Through the media, this incident has been known as a NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) phenomenon. Shinsesang aims to closely examine the background of this incident and, through Saenghwal Punggyeong, show how contradictions in social systems turn individual members of society into adversaries. The play also portrays modern people who are always obsessed with the desire to live better than now and whose daily lives are marked by hatred and discrimination, emphasizing how an event once thought to be a special case is actually an ordinary matter very close to our own lives.

The audience will attend the debate as residents of Surigu, Hangang City. Before entering the theater, audience members choose their seats supporting either the special school for the disabled or the national Korean medicine hospital. Through this choice, they will view the different everyday sceneries of Surigu. Depending on the seat selected, the audience will have different experiences.

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