The 39th Korea Theater Festival Opens on the 17th in Andong and Yecheon … Theme is 'Oh My God'

Poster of the 39th Korea Theater Festival in Andong·Yecheon.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] The '39th Korea Theater Festival in Andong and Yecheon' will be held for 23 days from the 17th to August 8th in Andong and Yecheon.

Hosted by Gyeongbuk Province, Andong City, Yecheon County, and the Korea Theater Association, and organized by the Gyeongbuk Branch of the Korea Theater Association and the Korea Theater Festival Executive Committee, this theater festival originated from the National Local Theater Festival first held in Busan in 1983.

The 'Korea Theater Festival,' boasting the longest history and largest scale in the country with 39 years of tradition, will be held in Gyeongbuk Province for the first time in 12 years since the 27th National Theater Festival was held in Gumi in 2009.

This year's festival slogan, 'Theater, Oh My God,' was planned to encapsulate the wonder of theater and the yangban spirit and Confucian culture of Andong and Yecheon in the word 'God.'

The detailed performance schedule consists of ▲Opening Ceremony ▲Main Competition & Invitation Performances ▲Networking Festival & Invitation Performances ▲Oh My God Fringe Festival & Talk Concert ▲Academic Programs ▲Closing Ceremony. The opening ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on the 17th at the Andong Talchum Performance Hall.

In the main performances, 16 theater teams representing metropolitan cities nationwide will perform a total of 32 shows alternately at Andong Culture & Arts Center (Ungbu Hall) and Gyeongbuk Provincial Government (Dongnak Hall) from the first performance on the 18th until August 6th.

The Networking Festival will showcase works by directors under 40 years old, with 8 teams selected through preliminary rounds competing at Yecheon County Cultural Center.

The Oh My God Fringe Festival features about 45 teams that advanced to the main competition performing approximately 13 shows daily over 12 days at Gaemok Naru in Andong, Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Central Shopping District, and Dohyoja Madang in Yecheon.

The academic conference includes the Korean Acting Arts Society General Assembly session held on the 17th at the Andong University International Exchange Center's medium conference room, and a session for emerging researchers on the 18th at the Yecheon Astronomy and Space Center. An acting school for Korea Theater Association members and the general public with stage experience will be held on the 18th and 24th at Andong Culture & Arts Center. On the closing day, August 8th, an international symposium linked with the 20th China University Student Theater Festival will also be held.

Mayor Kwon Young-se of Andong said, "I hope that through the 39th Korea Theater Festival, Andong will be reborn as a central city of performing arts culture," and emphasized, "We will strive to safely conclude the theater festival with thorough quarantine measures in response to COVID-19."

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