Turning the Seat Back Reveals Another Stage... The 500-Year-Old Seowon and Starlit Audience at the Geochang International Theater Festival

On the 29th, during the 32nd Geochang International Theater Festival, the opera and pansori fusion musical "Chunhyangjeon" is being performed at Guyunseowon in the Susungdae tourist area. Photo by Kim Yong-woo

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters reporters Kim Yong-woo and Choi Soon-kyung] ‘Even if I see you once, my love, even if I see you ten times, my love... Love, love, our love, whether it goes well or not, our love.’

On the night of the 29th, an unexpected ‘love song’ was chasing away the sound of water at Geochang Suseungdae. The red crape myrtle sweeping the eaves of the old house like long bangs was embraced by the black darkness. Above the plastic seats packed with spectators, the Big Dipper and Polaris led the Milky Way watching over.

The 32nd Geochang International Theater Festival’s ‘Musical Play Chunhyangjeon’ was a night that made men and women, young and old, anxious.

The stage was set exactly as the Seowon (Confucian academy) where Joseon scholar Yosu (樂水) Shin Gwon (愼權, 1501?1573) established a seodang (village school) to teach his disciples. In the deep pond right in front, there is a rock shaped like a turtle. Therefore, 150 years after Yosu’s death, it was named Guyeon (龜淵) Seowon. This was the stage for the opera and pansori fusion musical ‘Chunhyangjeon’ that night.

Behind the stage, where about 20 orchestra members were seated, stood a large stone monument engraved with ‘Sanggosujang (山高水長)’, kindly explaining where this theater festival was taking place. Under the motto ‘Nature, Humanity, Theater,’ the beautiful natural surroundings of Geochang Suseungdae and its vicinity serve as both stage and audience seats.

Since ancient times, Geochang has been a village where newly appointed magistrates, called ‘Sato,’ cried twice. The story passed down is that magistrates assigned to this ‘remote area’ came crying from injustice when they arrived and cried again when leaving because they didn’t want to part with Suseungdae. The Geochang Theater Festival has been held at Suseungdae for its 32nd edition.

Opened on July 22, the 32nd Geochang International Theater Festival will close on August 5. The ‘Geochang’ theater festival began under a different name in 1989 and rose to international status from 1995. However, due to trademark conflicts and disputes, as well as the severe impact of COVID-19, it is being held again after a four-year hiatus.

For audiences who were captivated by world-class performances along with enjoying the beautiful nature, elegant stages, and watching performances on the water, the festival’s absence was deeply regretted.

At 8 p.m. that day, the Gwan-su-ru pavilion at the entrance of Guyeon Seowon was used as the Chunhyangjeon stage, and about 20 minutes later, all the seats were turned backward to face Guyeon Seowon as the background for the continuation of opera and pansori. It was a brilliant spectacle of a single play using two stages, in front of and behind the audience seats.

On the 29th, during the 32nd Geochang International Theater Festival, the opera and pansori fusion musical drama "Chunhyangjeon" is being performed on the Gwan-su-ru stage of Guyeon Seowon at the Susungdae tourist site. Photo by Kim Yong-woo

The musical play Chunhyangjeon was a collaboration of opera and pansori. The narration and commentary were handled by pansori singer Hong Jun-pyo, whose name is the same as a politician’s. When he introduced himself as ‘Hong Jun-pyo’ at the start of the play and said, “Isn’t that a good name?” the audience burst into laughter.

That day, Gu In-mo, the mayor of Geochang County, watched the entire play. When asked about the criticism that the festival seemed to have lost its previous vitality and audience, the mayor smiled and responded.

“There was a four-year gap due to trademark conflicts, and it is true that this festival is ‘quieter’ than before because of the COVID aftermath,” he said, “But tonight’s play was a successful reinterpretation of the classic Chunhyangjeon, planned by the Geochang Theater Festival as a new opera-pansori fusion, filling all 300 seats. You can see these high-quality performances as the starting engine for the revival of the new Geochang International Theater Festival,” he said confidently.

This year’s Geochang International Theater Festival has a total budget of 1.1 billion won, with 56 groups from 8 overseas countries participating, presenting 75 official and fringe performances. From solo plays to Madanggeuk (traditional Korean open-air theater), family plays, musical plays, musicals, dance, mime, and circus, various genres welcome the audience.

Various experiential events such as face and nail painting, making strawberry syrup aid, and mask decorating add fun to the festival for families. Official performances and fringe events are held at waterside stages, the Solar Theater, Guyeon Seowon, and other locations around Suseungdae and Geochang Changpowon.

“Are you the husband who left Hanyang or some kind of nonsense?”

When Chunhyang’s mother Wolmae, seeing the ragged Im Mong-ryong, mistakenly thought her son-in-law had failed the state examination and made a disparaging remark, the audience burst into laughter. The audience will continue to welcome new plays such as ‘Saengsa-gye’ and ‘Ssamgugyeonggaja’ until August 5.

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