National Theater of Korea 'NT Live' to Screen Two Shakespeare Classics

The Nation's First Presentation of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
Record Sold-Out 'King Lear' Returns After 2 Years

Performance photos of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The National Theater announced on the 9th that it will screen Shakespeare's representative classics, A Midsummer Night's Dream and King Lear, at the Daloreum Theater through 'NT (National Theatre) Live' from the 26th of this month to April 4th.

NT Live, first introduced by the National Theatre in the UK in 2009, is a program that films acclaimed plays from the English-speaking theater world and screens them in theaters and cinemas worldwide. In Korea, the National Theater first adopted it in March 2014 and has presented a total of 21 productions, about 4 to 5 per season, to date. The two works screened this month stand out for their sensitive approach and direction of Shakespeare's classics, offering an opportunity to compare Shakespeare's representative comedy and tragedy.

The Korean premiere of A Midsummer Night's Dream is a production that premiered at the London Bridge Theatre from June to August 2019. It received high praise from The Observer, the weekend edition of the UK Guardian, stating "Five stars are not enough." Gwendoline Christie, well known for the popular American drama Game of Thrones, plays Titania, and Oliver Chris, who left a strong impression in NT Live's One Man, Two Guvnors, plays Oberon.

Originally scheduled for three screenings from the 26th to the 28th, all performances sold out within an hour on the ticket opening day, leading to an additional screening on the 27th at 7:30 PM. Tickets for the additional screening will be available from 2 PM on the 10th.

Photo of the performance of 'King Lear'.

King Lear stars Ian McKellen, well known for his role as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films. When first screened at the National Theater in 2019, it sold out all seats and received enthusiastic responses from audiences. Ian McKellen was praised by critics and local media for his detailed portrayal of a man who, once influential in his era, is brought to ruin by his stubbornness and folly in King Lear.

Directed by Jonathan Munby, known as a "Shakespeare specialist director," the play premiered in September 2017 at the Chichester Festival Theatre. The version of King Lear presented by the National Theater NT Live is the one restaged in 2018 at the Duke of York's Theatre in London. It incorporates modern sensibilities into the stage, costumes, and space, delivering a vivid realism that makes the old, traditional story feel like a contemporary tale about people in today's society. King Lear will be screened five times from the 31st to April 4th.

The two NT Live screenings at the National Theater in March will implement "socially distanced seating" in accordance with the social distancing guidelines from health authorities. Ticket reservations are available through the National Theater website and by phone.

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