Spring Arrives After Winter, Play 'Dionysus Under the Magnolia' Captures Myth in Everyday Life

December 12-15, Seoul Seongbuk Cultural Foundation Kkumbit Theater

The theater company Nanhui will perform the play 'Dionysus Under the Magnolia' again after four years since its premiere in early 2019.

Play 'Dionysus Under the Magnolia'.
[Photo by Nanhui Theater Company]

The performance will take place from the 12th to the 15th at the Kkumbit Theater of the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. It is regarded as a masterpiece depicting the pain of modern people enduring the cold winter while waiting for the new spring.

The play, set in a small caf? and bar called 'Dionysus' run by young theater artists, borrows its name from the god who presided over wine and theater in ancient Greece.

On a spring night when magnolias are in bloom, customers gradually arrive at Caf? Dionysus located in a quiet alley. While drinking and watching short plays performed at the caf?, small quarrels break out, revealing the hidden wounds each guest carries in their hearts.

Premiered in 2019 through the 'Performing Arts Creation Workshop - New Works of the Year,' the play was written and directed by Kim Myunghwa, the representative and playwright of Nanhui. Actors Park Sangjong, Seo Jin, Seo Taeseong, Seo Jeongsik, and Noh Junyoung appear in the cast.

A representative of Nanhui said, "The work was inspired by the ancient Greek Dionysus festival," adding, "Just as the Dionysus festival, which took place in spring after winter, brought exalted vitality to the audience, we aim to present the inherent vitality and festive exuberance within us to the audience."

'Dionysus Under the Magnolia' was selected for the Arts Management Support Center's '2023 Performance Distribution Cooperation Support Project' and will also be performed on the 20th at Bupyeong Art Center in Incheon and on the 27th at Hyunjang Art Hall in Jinju, Gyeongnam.

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