[Yeit Suda] For Performances Everyone Can Enjoy

Barrier-free musical play 'Hap★Che' press rehearsal stage. Photo by National Theater

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Last September, the National Theater of Korea invited about 10 disabled audience members to a touch tour before the stage of its first self-produced barrier-free performance ‘Hap★che.’ During the tour, participants were able to directly touch the performance sets, props, musical instruments, and costumes. This program received positive reviews as it was similar to the ‘Tactile Tour’ conducted by the Finnish National Ballet in 2014, which invited disabled audience members before the performance of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ to experience the show through the protagonist’s props.

‘Hap★che’ was a musical drama about the growth of twin brothers with a father who has dwarfism. Before the performance, the National Theater stationed accessibility managers to assist disabled audience members for a comfortable viewing experience. On screens on both sides of the stage, dialogue and lyrics were displayed, and an actor playing the role of a DJ for visually impaired viewers appeared to explain the stage setup through narration. When the protagonists ‘Hap’ and ‘Che’ appeared, a sign language interpreter actor followed them like a shadow, conveying the dialogue through sign language.

At first, they resembled Kurogo characters from Japanese Kabuki theater, but through sign language and vivid acting, they conveyed the protagonists’ emotions to the audience moment by moment. Notably, the role of the protagonists’ father was played by actor Kim Beomjin, who has dwarfism himself, adding authenticity and persuasiveness to the work by reflecting lived experience.

The dance performance ‘Structure of Structure,’ scheduled to be staged at Arko·Daehangno Arts Theater in November, will offer a barrier-free usage method (woofer vest) that allows the audience to enjoy the dancers’ movements and sounds through vibrations. The assistive device, a woofer (vibration) vest, converts sound into vibrations so that the rhythm can be felt physically.

The term barrier free, used to break down physical and institutional barriers faced by the elderly and disabled, began in 1974 in the field of architecture as a movement to remove thresholds so that elderly or disabled people in wheelchairs could easily enter public facilities or homes. Recently, as calls for expanding cultural enjoyment rights for disabled people have increased, various barrier-free performances have been on the rise, especially in the performing arts sectors of national organizations such as theater and dance.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in April, there are 2,645,000 registered disabled people in Korea, accounting for 5.1% of the total population. According to statistics related to disabled people released by Statistics Korea and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of 2019, only 6.9% of disabled people attended cultural and artistic events on weekends, less than half of the 20.1% attendance rate of non-disabled people.

In response, the National Theater Company of Korea, which has actively begun producing barrier-free performances, saw the proportion of disabled audience members among total audiences steadily increase over the past four years, except during the difficult performance environment caused by COVID-19: 0.54% in 2019, 0.51% in 2020, 0.73% in 2021, and 1.55% in the first half of 2022. Along with sign language interpretation, audio performance explanations, and subtitle services, expanded mobility support has also contributed to the increase in disabled audience members.

The National Theater of Korea will premiere the play ‘Teenage Dick,’ featuring an actor with cerebral palsy, on the 17th. The narrative of overcoming and healing in this work, which deals with marginalized characters, embodies the creative team’s desire to break down the barriers between disabled and non-disabled people. Beyond the natural establishment of Korean subtitles and sign language interpretation in the theater, the active participation of disabled artists moving dynamically across the stage is gradually expanding the space where everyone can enjoy performances ‘together’ today.

Editor's NoteYeitsuda (藝It Suda) is an abbreviation for ‘Art Talk,’ a column focusing on issues and trends across the arts, including music, visual arts, and performances.

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