Arts Council Selects Best Practices for '2021 Performing Arts Workforce Support Project'

Corporation Theater HyunJang Receives Minister of Culture Award for 'COVID-19 Performing Arts Excellence'
16 Teams Awarded, Ceremony on 23rd

COVID-19 Performing Arts Activity Excellence Contest. Photo by Korea Arts Council

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Korea Arts & Culture Education Service announced on the 18th that it will hold an awards ceremony for outstanding cases in the '2021 Performing Arts Workforce Support Project.'

In this contest, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award was given to Theater Company Hyeonjang (CEO Ko Neungseok) for 'Workforce recruitment for the survival and rehabilitation of artists, and the establishment of a theater performance platform and archiving.' It introduces how members of different generations overcame personal conflicts and difficulties through group artistic activities. Additionally, it was recognized for its effectiveness as a case of job creation in line with current trends by reflecting on the establishment of an online platform introducing the repertoire of local theater companies during the pandemic era.

The Performing Arts Workforce Support Project is an additional budget project in which the Arts Council Korea, commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, supported a total of 5,500 artists in five performing arts fields (theater, musical, music, dance, and traditional) to continue their creative activities amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The project provided wages to performing arts organizations to hire 5,500 artists for periods ranging from three to five months, enabling them to continue their activities despite the crisis in theater operations caused by COVID-19.

Earlier, in December last year, the Arts Council Korea held the '2021 COVID-19 Period Performing Arts Activity Outstanding Case Contest' for organizations and artists participating in this project. A total of 263 cases were submitted. The contest discovered creative and original activities preparing for the post-COVID era, including ▲experiences preventing unemployment from the perspectives of individual artists and organizations ▲new forms of performance creation using non-face-to-face technology ▲development of performing arts platforms.

The Theater Company Miin's 'Crossing the Stepping Stones Together, Slowly' received the Chairman Award of the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, and Naedeureum Yeonhuidan's 'Middle-aged Artist's First Day at Work' received the Chairman Award of the Traditional Performing Arts Promotion Foundation.

In addition, a total of 16 outstanding cases by genre and organizing institution, including the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award and the Chairman Award of the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, were selected. The awards ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. on the 23rd at Gonggan Seongsu in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

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