National Theater Company of Korea Presents '2021 Youth Theater Creation Belt Reading Performance'

Godeongmin's 'Sonyeon Daero', I Yejin's 'Buljangnan', Choi Hyunbi's 'Norang-ui Boseok-eun Geomjeong-ida'
Private Theater Groups Participate for the First Time in the Production Process of Reading Performances to Revitalize Youth Theater

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The National Theater Company of Korea (Artistic Director Kim Kwang-bo) Children and Youth Theater Research Institute will present the ‘2021 Youth Theater Creation Belt Reading Performance’ at the Baek Seong-hee Jang Min-ho Theater of the National Theater Company from the 26th to the 28th.

The 2021 ‘Youth Theater Creation Belt’ collaborates with private theater companies. Secret Base, Theater Company Pabulatore, and Creative Group LAS are the ‘participating companies’ in this project, working with playwrights Ko Jung-min, Lee Ye-jin, and Choi Hyun-bi. The ‘17 youths from the National Theater Company Children and Youth Theater Research Institute’ along with students from Munsan Su-eok High School and Nongok Middle School (Incheon) participated in online and offline workshops, adding contemporary youth perspectives and sensibilities.

"So we’re trying to save. Trying to endure without using it. For a better tomorrow!"

"I just want to be happy now. It’s okay to do that here, isn’t it?"

‘Boy Boulevard’ (written by Ko Jung-min, directed by Shin Jin-ho of Secret Base) depicts the pain and independence of youths who have left child welfare facilities after their protection period ended and runaway youths. The children who lived together in a semi-basement room meet a stray cat named Po and their thoughts diverge, leading to conflicts. They argue over whether to postpone current happiness and endure desires for a better future or to pursue the small but certain happiness here and now.

"Are you telling me the kids are causing such a fuss just because of some fire-starting?"

"That’s just what kids that age do while growing up."

‘Playing with Fire’ (written by Lee Ye-jin, directed by Kwon Young-ho of Theater Company Pabulatore) features youths who are not understood by their families and sometimes live quietly, sometimes as they are told. Sang-wook, who decided he’d rather get properly punished for causing trouble than be hit by his father for no reason, goes with his friend Dong-joo to set fire on the hill behind their school. The play powerfully portrays youths who want to reveal and prove their existence to the world by igniting the sparks within their hearts.

"Yellow. From now on, my name is Yellow. Yellow who can cry."

‘Yellow’s Complementary Color is Black’ (written by Choi Hyun-bi, directed by Shin Myung-min of Creative Group LAS) tells the story of 18-year-old Park Ah-rin, who chose not to leave her room due to school violence, and 8-year-old Yellow, who cannot leave her room because of domestic violence. This work, rich in poetic symbolism and metaphor, weaves the story of two girls sharing their pain while crossing the boundaries between fiction and reality. The characters gain the strength to open the door and come out again by overcoming the frightening reality and healing their wounds.

Tickets can be reserved for free on the National Theater Company website, limited to one ticket per person. All audience members will receive a book containing the scripts of each performance. Conversations with the artists will take place in the auditorium after the performances: ‘Boy Boulevard’ on the 26th, ‘Playing with Fire’ on the 27th, and ‘Yellow’s Complementary Color is Black’ on the 28th.

The ‘Youth Theater Creation Belt’ is a project conducted by the National Theater Company Children and Youth Theater Research Institute since 2012 to develop youth theater scripts. Each year, creators and youths collaborate to present new narratives reflecting teenagers’ perspectives through original scripts.

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