[On Stage] From the Audience Seat... Facing 'My Gaze' on People with Disabilities

Construction of Oriental Medicine Hospital vs Establishment of School for Disabled
Residents' Debate Over Site Development Filled with Loud Arguments
A Stage to Experience the Intensity of Discrimination and Hatred

Theater performance scene of the play 'Saenghwal Punggyeong' (Photo by Geukdan Sinsegye)

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] "If you support the construction of the Korean medicine hospital, please sit in Area A; if you support the establishment of the special school for the disabled, please sit in Area B."

In the play Living Scenery by the theater troupe Shinsesang, there are no assigned seats. The audience chooses where to sit after deciding which facility is appropriate to build on the site of a closed elementary school in the fictional administrative district of Surigu, Hangang City. The stage is set up like a typical community debate hall. In the center sit the moderator, a member of the National Assembly, and a government official, while on each side sit representatives of civic groups and residents presenting their positions.

As soon as the performance begins, the debate hall turns into a chaotic scene filled with shouting and finger-pointing. The residents who take the floor rarely stay seated in the panel seats. Their exchanges of words happen rapidly without a single second of pause. Throughout the audience, some residents mock or shout at the opposing side. The audience suddenly realizes, "Ah, this is not a theater but a real chaotic debate hall."

The barrage of loud voices and physical confrontations continue for about ten minutes. Then the actors all freeze and the stage goes dark. Act 1 ends. Living Scenery has a unique structure: a total 120-minute performance with Act 1 lasting 10 minutes, an intermission of 10 minutes, and Act 2 lasting 100 minutes. Act 1 serves as a kind of preview. The setting is that of a bystander living outside Surigu who happens to witness the debate.

Theater performance scene of the play 'Saenghwal Punggyeong' (Photo by Geukdan Sinsegye)

During the 10-minute intermission, the audience fully becomes residents of Surigu who support a specific position. The banners and chairs that were previously placed oppositely are rearranged facing the audience, and the actors treat the audience as if they were residents. The special school supporters hand out flyers to the audience, greeting them with phrases like "Oh, Mom 00, you’re busy but you came," creating a sense of familiarity. The Korean medicine hospital supporters even create their own cheer slogans to foster unity.

In this way, Living Scenery asks how we treat people with disabilities and, more broadly, "others" when we become direct stakeholders rather than third parties. It is based on a true story surrounding the establishment of a special school for the disabled in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, in 2017. It premiered last year at Dongyang Arts Theater and was officially selected for the 42nd Seoul Theater Festival this year.

The supporters of building the special school are mostly parents of children with disabilities. They argue that since the closed school site is designated for school use, it is appropriate to build a special school there. They emphasize that the current capacity for special school students is far too insufficient and demand the guarantee of their children’s right to education.

The Korean medicine hospital supporters claim that Surigu has the highest number of elderly on basic livelihood security and economically vulnerable people, so a hospital should be built for medical welfare reasons. They argue that while the special school benefits only a minority, the Korean medicine hospital would benefit the entire district population. They also openly express expectations that linking with the nearby medical tourism special zone will increase real estate values.

Theater performance scene of the play 'Saenghwal Punggyeong' (Photo by Geukdan Sinsegye)

Living Scenery avoids the dichotomy of portraying people with disabilities as "good" and non-disabled people as "evil" in an "underdogma" style. It also reveals the selfish behaviors of special school supporters. It realistically conveys human selfishness that tolerates injustice but never tolerates disadvantage. At the same time, it prompts reflection on where mutual hatred originates.

In the middle of Act 2, the panel positions are switched, allowing the audience to experience standing on the opposite side of the position they had chosen. There is a line in the play: "A conversation without understanding and empathy is an echo in the void." This suggests that instead of stubbornly insisting on one’s own perspective, one should also respect the other’s viewpoint. One scene even reverses the roles, showing a situation where the majority of people with disabilities discriminate against and hate the minority of non-disabled people. This is a form of "mirroring" that encourages the parties involved to recognize their faults by imitating problematic behavior. Rather than simply reversing disabled and non-disabled groups, it flips majority and minority groups to let the audience experience the intensity of discrimination and hatred based on power dynamics. Discrimination and hatred are not limited to issues involving sexual minorities, people with disabilities, or women, but appear wherever majorities and minorities confront each other.

The primary agents responsible for actively resolving conflicts are politicians. However, the Surigu member of the National Assembly leaves after only giving an opening statement at the start of the debate. In fact, the Korean medicine hospital construction plan was his first campaign promise. He is the originator of this conflict.

In the absence of politicians, education office officials repeat the same words like parrots with soulless expressions. Amid their indifference, the residents of Surigu become increasingly agitated. Where does our hatred come from?

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