Actress Moon So-ri Returns with the Play 'Gwangbu Hwaggadeul': "The Theater Stage is a Tonic"

Playwright Lee Hall Original Work · Directed by Lee Sang-woo, Starring Moon So-ri, Kang Shin-il, Park Won-sang

Actor Moon So-ri, who played the role of Helen in the play Miners' Painters. Photo by CJES

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "The theater stage is a tonic. It’s better than most medicines. You cannot step on stage without mutual respect. You feel a warm heart that relies on each other, and that process seems to be a medicine for the human heart."

Actress Moon Sori shared her thoughts on returning to the stage after a long time with the play The Pitmen Painters.

The Pitmen Painters is set in the 1930s in Ashington, a coal mining area in Newcastle, northeast England, and depicts miners who have lived their entire lives in narrow, dark tunnels transforming into painters by learning to paint. Through the miners’ journey of learning painting, the play raises questions about life and art. The original play was written by British playwright Lee Hall, well known to Korean audiences for the musical Billy Elliot. This production marks the third staging of the play in Korea, and Moon Sori is participating for the second time since the 2010 premiere.

Moon Sori plays Helen Sutherland, an art enthusiast who highly appreciates the Ashington Group’s paintings and offers support to the painters. She delivers a passionate performance, reprising her role from the premiere. At the time, she was praised for perfectly embodying a character with refined yet gentle charisma. With precise diction and detailed acting that supports the flow of the play, Moon Sori completes her own version of Helen with charismatic presence. Notably, she shows warmth when proposing to help Oliver become a full-time painter and adds strength to the character by expressing her convictions about art.

Actor Moon So-ri, who played the role of Helen in the play Miners' Painters. Photo by CJES

Before the performance, Moon Sori said, “It’s been about ten years since the premiere in 2010. The premiere was enjoyable but challenging. Playing a noblewoman was difficult, but this time I approached the character ‘Helen’ not as a noble but as someone with a strong belief in art. Thinking of her as a person who devoted her life to painting opened up a different perspective, and I found a way to connect with the role that way.”

She continued, “After finishing a run of one or two months, I feel like I’ve built a solid framework inside myself. The stage has a power. I hope many people come to see it, and I think I’ll feel sad when it ends. I hope it will be a good time until the very end for both us and the audience.”

Through The Pitmen Painters, Moon Sori captivates the audience by showing how ordinary miners transform into painters through art appreciation classes, demonstrating how culture and art enrich their lives, recognizing the talents of the pitmen painters, and portraying a warm figure who supports them.

First performed in 2007 at Newcastle Live Theatre in the UK, The Pitmen Painters received acclaim as “a beautiful work of art everyone should see,” winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Play, the TMA Award for Best New Play of the Year, and the Journal Culture Awards for Performance of the Year, achieving great success.

In Korea, it premiered in 2010 at Myeongdong Arts Theater, winning the 3rd Korea Theater Awards for Best Play and being selected as one of the Best 3 Plays of the Year by the Korean Theater Critics Association, receiving praise from both critics and audiences. Returning to the stage after about ten years, The Pitmen Painters draws attention with director Lee Sangwoo, who led the Korean premiere and revival, and a cast of skilled actors.

The play The Pitmen Painters, which opened on the 1st, will run at Doosan Art Center Yeon Gang Hall until January 22, 2023.

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