Arko Arts Theater Opens 40th Anniversary with Audience Participation Exhibition 'Eomneun Geukjang'

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Arko Arts Theater opens the year celebrating its 40th anniversary with the exhibition "The Theater That Does Not Exist."

The Korea Arts & Culture Education Service announced that from the 1st, it will hold the audience participation exhibition "The Theater That Does Not Exist" for one month. This exhibition, held in the theater lobby and underground rehearsal rooms, allows visitors to explore the usually inaccessible underground rehearsal space and every corner of the 1st and 2nd floor lobbies while wearing headphones.

Opened in 1981 as the "Korea Arts Promotion Center Cultural Hall," Arko Arts Theater has staged approximately 6,500 performances including plays, dance, traditional arts, gugak (Korean traditional music), and multidisciplinary arts until 2020. With a 600-seat main theater and a 100-seat black box-style small theater, an average of about 160 performances were held annually.

Last year, the theater operated without interruption by taking proactive measures and phased responses to COVID-19, and this year it plans to focus on creating a safe performance environment.

"The Theater That Does Not Exist" focuses on the theater space itself amid the global crisis faced by the performing arts genre due to COVID-19, turning the entire theater space into a stage and inviting the audience as protagonists. Inspired by the ruined site of Manboksa Temple, where the story of Yangsaeng and a ghost unfolds in Kim Si-seup's "Geumo Sinhwa" in the tale "Manboksa Jeopogi," media direction was led by Kwon Byung-jun. Architect and poet Ham Seong-ho handled the spatial installation along with the text, and architect Choi Jang-won was in charge of spatial installation. Playwrights Bae Haeryul, Lee Hong-do, and Jang Young wrote the story, and actors Kim Misu, Park Jia, Yoon Sang-hwa, Lee Ji-hye, Choi Hee-jin, and pansori singer Park Su-beom narrate stories that cross the theater's boundaries.

The exhibition is free, lasts one hour per session, and accommodates up to seven people per session. Reservations can be made through the Naver booking site.

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