National Changgeuk Company’s 'Trojan Women' Returns to Domestic Stage After 3 Years... Opening at Daloreum Theater on the 3rd

Tragedy of Trojan Women Defeated in War Against Greek-Sparta Allied Forces
7 Performances Until the 10th... Special Concert Performance 'Troi-ui Yeodeul : Concert' on the 12th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The National Changgeuk Company, the resident troupe of the National Theater of Korea, will perform its representative repertoire "The Women of Troy" from the 3rd to the 10th at the Daloreum Theater of the National Theater.

The changgeuk "The Women of Troy" is a work planned by the National Changgeuk Company with the goal of overseas expansion and premiered at the National Theater in 2016. Since then, it has been staged on prestigious overseas stages such as the Singapore Arts Festival (2017), London International Theatre Festival, Holland Festival, and Vienna Festival (2018), receiving praise from international audiences and critics. This year, planned performances at the Ch?telet Theatre in Paris, France, and the opening performance of the "Next Wave Festival" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York, USA, were all canceled due to the spread of COVID-19. This is the first domestic performance in three years since November 2017.

"The Women of Troy" is the last work of the "Trojan War Trilogy" presented by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides in Athens, Greece, in 415 BC. Playwright Bae Sam-sik, who wrote plays such as "Hwajeonga" and "1945," newly wrote the script for the changgeuk "The Women of Troy" based on Euripides' original work and the eponymous adaptation by Jean-Paul Sartre (1965).

The changgeuk "The Women of Troy" depicts the tragic fate of the Trojan women who instantly became slaves after losing the war against the Greek-Spartan allied forces. Playwright Bae Sam-sik preserves the original insight into the barbarity and tragedy of war but shifts the focus to ordinary people who had no chance to speak in extreme situations and the women marginalized in the tragedy of war.

Performance scene of the National Changgeuk Company’s "The Women of Troy"
Photo by National Theater

Troy lost the 10-year war against the Greek-Spartan allied forces. The changgeuk "The Women of Troy" portrays the few hours before all the Trojan women, including Queen Hecuba of Troy, are taken as slaves to victorious Greece. Hecuba lost her husband and sons during the war. Her daughter, Princess Cassandra, is to be enslaved by Agamemnon, the king of Greece, and her daughter-in-law Andromache is to be sold as a slave to a Greek general.

The role of Hecuba, who sings the fate that befell the Trojan women, is played by Kim Geum-mi. The passionate mother Andromache is played by Kim Ji-sook, the fiercely angry and deadly charming Cassandra by Lee So-yeon, and the enchanting beauty Helen by Kim Joon-soo. Jung Mi-jung, Heo Ae-seon, Na Yoon-young, Seo Jeong-geum, Kim Mi-jin, Lee Yeon-ju, Min Eun-kyung, and Jo Yoo-ah form the chorus, singing the heartfelt emotions of ordinary people pushed to the margins. The eight chorus members remain on stage throughout the performance without entrance or exit.

King Menelaus of Sparta is played by Choi Ho-sung, and Talthybius, the herald of the Spartan-Athenian allied forces, is played by Lee Kwang-bok. The sleepless spirit, Gohon (孤魂 or 高魂), who appears at the beginning and end of the play, is portrayed by Yoo Tae-pyung-yang. Gohon reproaches the war and human folly and comforts the suffering women.

The changgeuk "The Women of Troy" also shows a formal uniqueness where the main actors pair with a musical instrument to lead the narrative. Hecuba’s majestic voice pairs with the geomungo, Andromache, who loses her son Astyanax, with the ajaeng, the vengeful Trojan princess Cassandra with the daegeum, and Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world and the seed of Troy’s destruction, with the piano.

Performance scene of the National Changgeuk Company’s "The Women of Troy"
Photo by National Theater

The stage is designed simply yet powerfully to approach the pure essence of "sound," the foundation and core of changgeuk. Lighting designer Scott Zilinski and other internationally active designers were in charge of stage and video design, and Kim Moo-hong, designer of the brand MOOHONG known for modern interpretations of Oriental beauty, handled the costumes, adding completeness to the minimalist aesthetic.

The direction of the changgeuk "The Women of Troy" is by world-renowned Singaporean director Ong Keng Sen. The music, praised for maximizing the inherent beauty of pansori, was composed by Jeong Jae-il, music director of the film "Parasite," with lyrics by the representative master singer of traditional Korean music, Ahn Sook-sun.

After completing the full-length performance schedule, the National Changgeuk Company will present a special planned performance "The Women of Troy: Concert" on the 12th. This special stage will showcase selected major songs from the changgeuk "The Women of Troy" in concert format. Yeoshin-dong will direct and stage the concert, and music director Jeong Jae-il will perform on stage with the National Changgeuk Company actors and musicians.

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