National Theater Company to Stage Four Experimental Plays Including 360-Degree Rotating Viewing

'Zaitun Pasta'

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The National Theater Company announced on the 2nd that from April 16 to May 10, it will simultaneously hold four performances?'The Tears of an Unknown Artist and Zaitun Pasta,' 'Actress One: The Nation's First Robot Actor,' 'Actress Two: The Villain Specialist Robot,' and 'Dangkeulmaeda'?at Baekseonghee Jang Minho Theater, Small Theater Pan, and the outdoor yard in Seogye-dong.

This project, named 'SETUP 202,' is a stage where the National Theater Company questions conventional choices through new challenges. Taking a step beyond the basics denoted by 101, the 202 stance was planned to engage with contemporary times and new methods from subject matter to viewing styles, aiming to expand the discourse of our era. Important social issues such as sexual minorities, theater in the robot era, and technology-based convergence arts will be presented in a lively festival format at the National Theater Company's Red Theater in Seogye-dong.

'The Tears of an Unknown Artist and Zaitun Pasta,' performed throughout the project period at Baekseonghee Jang Minho Theater, is a play based on the novel of the same name by writer Park Sang-young. It received enthusiastic responses from audiences during last year's reading showcase. This play calmly portrays the story of sexual minorities?one of the hottest contemporary topics?not as an object but within the cheerful daily lives of ordinary youth. Both the seats and stage of Baekseonghee Jang Minho Theater are used as actors' movement paths, and the audience sits on rotating chairs installed on the stage, allowing them to turn 360 degrees in any direction to watch, showcasing an experimental use of space.

'Actress One: The Nation's First Robot Actor,' performed at Small Theater Pan from April 16 to 25, and 'Actress Two: The Villain Specialist Robot,' performed from May 1 to 10, are one-person plays starring actor Seong Su-yeon, winner of the Young Theater Award in the theater category at the Baeksang Arts Awards. These planned invitation performances produced by 'Actress Production' are written and directed by Jung Jin-sae, who has recently gained attention in the theater world for distinctive works. Assuming a future theater stage with 'robot actors,' the plays question what 'humanity' and the essence of 'art' are in a rapidly advancing technological society where AI is becoming commonplace daily, and what value 'theater' can offer to our society.

'Dangkeulmaeda,' performed six times on May 1, 2, 8, and 9 at the National Theater Company's outdoor yard in Seogye-dong, is a media art performance experienced while wearing Bluetooth headphones. On spring evenings in May, a spectacle of light and sound unfolds centered around an object shaped like a giant tree. This planned invitation performance by the multi-disciplinary artist group EASThug reinterprets the musical elements of traditional gut (shamanistic ritual) in a modern way. It was showcased as a reading at last year's National Theater Company's rediscovery of Korean theater archetypes, 'Hajimaji Nolgutpulgut,' and this year, the stage moves outdoors to enhance openness and communicate with audiences in new ways suited to the COVID-19 era.

Kim Kwang-bo, Artistic Director of the National Theater Company, said, “The National Theater Company in Seogye-dong, nicknamed the 'Red Roof' for its bold and colorful building, is filled with fresh and experimental performances. I hope the festival-style project 'SETUP 202,' which fits well with the spring atmosphere, becomes a new channel for communicating with contemporary audiences.”

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