Two Plays Canceled by National Theater Due to COVID-19 Released Online

Screenings of 'Dongyang Theater 2020' on 10-12 and 'SWEAT Sweateu' on 18-19
Advance reservation required, free admission... Supporters can donate 5,000 KRW or 20,000 KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The National Theater Company of Korea will release two new plays that were canceled due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) as an 'online theater'.

The works to be released are 'Dongyang Theater 2020' and 'SWEAT Seuweteu'. 'Dongyang Theater 2020' will be available online once a day from the 10th to the 12th, and 'SWEAT Seuweteu' will be available once a day on the 18th and 19th. Both works were originally scheduled to be performed last September but were canceled due to the spread of COVID-19. Subtitles will be provided as an option to facilitate viewing.

'Dongyang Theater 2020' (written by Kim Ki-rim and Lee Seo-gu, directed by Yoon Si-jung) is a co-production with the theater company Hatangse that revives the performance style of the 1930s. It combines the representative popular play of the 1930s, 'The Power of a Mother,' and the play 'The Man Who Came from Heaven' by poet Kim Ki-rim, which is being staged for the first time. This work is part of the National Theater Company's 'Rediscovery of Modern and Contemporary Plays' series, which uncovers pre-liberation original plays and reinterprets them with a modern sensibility. It brings back the 'theater festival enjoyed with a single ticket' that took place at Dongyang Theater, built by our own power rather than by Japanese colonial rule, and stages it in 2020.

The National Theater Company offers free, ongoing access to 'Story Forum 8 - Dongyang Theater and Popular Plays' by the Modern and Contemporary Theater Advisory Committee to help broaden understanding of the historical background and context of the performance. 'Story Forum 8 - Dongyang Theater and Popular Plays' consists of expert lectures and discussions and can be viewed as videos and program books on the National Theater Company's YouTube channel and website respectively.

Dongyang Theater 2020
Photo by National Theater Company of Korea

'SWEAT Seuweteu' (written by Lynn Nottage, directed by Ahn Kyung-mo) is the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning work. Lynn Nottage is the first Black female playwright to win the Pulitzer Prize twice.

Set in a steel industry town in Pennsylvania, USA, it depicts the vivid stories of workers gathering at a local bar after work. Amid labor conditions that push human dignity to the brink, latent racial conflicts between Black and White people come to the forefront, and conflicts with the Latinx community, who have been treated as invisible, also emerge. Director Ahn Kyung-mo asks through the play about 'human dignity' beyond a society where humans are reduced to mere components and replaceable functional items.

'SWEAT Seuweteu' will have its Korean premiere produced by the National Theater Company. The company plans to screen two versions: an edited version (on the 18th) and a full-shot version (on the 19th). Since the performance runs for 177 minutes, a 15-minute intermission will be applied, just like in face-to-face performances.

SWEAT Sweat [Photo by National Theater Company]

In September, the National Theater Company first introduced the 'online theater' by releasing the play 'Fireworks' as a paid viewing. The two works released this time are free to reserve by default, but viewers who wish to support can choose to donate either 5,000 KRW or 20,000 KRW. Choosing 5,000 KRW grants a 20% discount coupon for the National Theater Company's first performance in 2021, while choosing 20,000 KRW provides the discount coupon plus the 2021 National Theater Company calendar. Donations will be used for the National Theater Company's projects. Donation receipts can be issued upon separate application, and full refunds are possible until 5 PM the day before each performance.

The National Theater Company plans to pilot the 'online theater' until the end of this year and officially launch it from next year. The 'online theater' will be the fourth theater of the National Theater Company, following Myeongdong Arts Theater, Baek Seong-hee Jang Min-ho Theater, and Small Theater Pan, expanding non-face-to-face projects actively in a virtual space.

'Dongyang Theater 2020' and 'SWEAT Seuweteu,' presented through the online theater, can be viewed only by audiences who make advance reservations through the National Theater Company's website and call center, regardless of free or donation status. Website reservations close at 5 PM the day before each performance, and call center reservations close three hours before the performance on the day. Only those who reserve will receive viewing guides and streaming links via text message. Donation payments are only possible during advance reservation selection and cannot be made during or after the viewing.

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