Namwon City Gugak Orchestra to Hold Performance of Original Changgeuk 'Dice of Destiny'

Published 21 Dec.2023 12:48(KST)

Namwon City in Jeonbuk will hold the Namwon City Gugak Orchestra's performance of ‘Dice of Fate’ at 7 p.m. on the 28th and 29th, and at 3 p.m. on the 30th at the Chunhyang Culture and Arts Center Grand Theater.

According to the city on the 21st, the Namwon City Gugak Orchestra planned the creative changgeuk ‘Dice of Fate’ by adapting ‘Manboksa Jeopogi’ from Kim Si-seup’s Geumo Sinhwa with the sensibility of 2023, producing it as new cultural content.

Poster of Namwon Municipal Gugak Orchestra's Creative Changgeuk Fate's Dice. <br>[Photo by Namwon City]

Poster of Namwon Municipal Gugak Orchestra's Creative Changgeuk Fate's Dice.
[Photo by Namwon City]

This performance is free for viewers aged 6 and above with prior reservation, and reservations can be made by phone or through the Namwon City Gugak Orchestra KakaoTalk channel.

Geumo Sinhwa holds significant literary historical importance as the starting point of Korean novels and for its profound influence on later novels.

Among them, ‘Manboksa Jeopogi’ is a love story that transcends death and resembles the life of Kim Si-seup, one of the Six Martyred Ministers.

Writer Sa Seong-gu, who has written numerous changgeuk works, reimagined the story so that unlike the original where the protagonists meet as human and ghost through Jeoponori (a traditional game), they were already lovers in this world.

Through this, the story highlights the male protagonist crossing the river of death for the promise of love.

Especially, the performance features a feast of charming characters that cannot be met in reality, including the protagonists Yang Hyeop and Hanga, the mysterious novice monk, the cute ghosts Seollang, Jukrang, Maerang, and the Moonlight Elder of Yeongju, Bongrae, and Bangjang.

Moreover, many young artists in their 30s and 40s participate as staff, showing a stylish and new attempt.

Currently rising in the Jeonbuk region, director Lee Wang-su, choreographer Kim Dong-hoon who recently completed the Jeonbuk tourism brand performance ‘Mongyeon - The Flower of Seodong,’ and composer Kim Baek-chan who composed the familiar subway transfer music ‘Eolssiguya’ have come together to rebirth this fantasy novel written in the early Joseon period as a living and breathing oriental fairy tale.

Namwon City Gugak Orchestra’s changak section members Lee Seung-min (host role), Jo Seon-ha (Hanga role), Kim Seon-young (novice monk role), Kim Yoon-seon (Seollang role), Go Woon-jeong (Jukrang role), and Park Gye-sook (Maerang role) take the lead, building a foundation with gugak, and prepare a performance worthy of the prestigious Namwon City Gugak Orchestra with immersive gugak orchestration and splendid, rich group dances that enhance the drama’s engagement.

Mayor Choi Kyung-sik said, “This performance allows sharing the literary meaning and history of Manboksa Jeopogi, and offers a fantastic and romantic year-end atmosphere that will satisfy both children and adults. I hope everyone recharges their cultural energy with Namwon changgeuk ‘Dice of Fate’ this year-end.”