"Prima Passi" Kim Shinrok: "A Life That Raced Like a Racehorse... There Is Also a Way to Walk in This World"

The play "Prima Passi" is weighty in both form and subject matter. With a relatively long running time of two hours, it is a one-person show in which a single actor commands the entire stage. The subject matter is even heavier. The story follows a female lawyer who had always won sexual assault cases, but after being raped by a fellow lawyer, finds herself standing in court as a victim. The play questions whether the law truly helps victims of sexual assault, or if it might inadvertently inflict further wounds upon them. The protagonist, Tessa, who transitions from lawyer to victim, ultimately sheds tears in court and pleads for changes to the laws surrounding sexual violence.

Actress Kim Shinrok said, "This is a production that demands a tremendous amount from me," and shared that she was deeply conflicted about whether to take on the role. She added, "There is a huge volume of lines, and I wondered if I could deliver the story with the responsibility it deserves." Regarding the gravity of the subject, she described the play as "not so much heavy as it is a work that makes social and realistic statements directly, without any metaphors."

Shinrok Kim is performing in the play "Prima Passi."
[Photo by Shonote]

A Two-Hour Solo Play Tackling Sexual Assault

Tessa’s first line is about racehorses. She describes the intense psychological battles that unfold in the courtroom, likening herself to a racehorse. Like a racehorse that always finishes first, she is filled with confidence and intoxicated by her own abilities. She manipulates witnesses, draws out favorable testimony, and ultimately wins.

However, a racehorse is also a symbol of an animal that is controlled and tamed. Humans blindfold racehorses to narrow their field of vision, guiding them to focus solely on the finish line without distraction. After becoming a victim of sexual assault, Tessa becomes acutely aware of the blinders that once narrowed her own perspective. She realizes that the law, a tool she once wielded for victory, may not actually be favorable to the victims it is supposed to protect.

Kim Shinrok explained, "This is a story about a woman who had been on a winning streak, only to have her worldview shattered. She tries to solve the problem using her previous worldview, but ultimately realizes that within that structure, a solution is impossible, and that she must see the world differently." She added, "As an actress, the most challenging and appealing aspect is having to traverse two completely different worldviews within two hours."

The play is performed without an intermission. However, from the actor’s perspective, Kim Shinrok describes it as if it is divided into two acts, because she must portray two completely different personas-lawyer and victim-before and after the incident of sexual violence.

Shinrok Kim is performing in the play "Prima Passi."
Photo by Shonote

"A Work That Speaks Reality Without Metaphor"

Kim Shinrok said that, especially when portraying Tessa after the sexual assault, she focused less on conveying a theme to the audience and more on how to make them experience and empathize with Tessa’s pain. For this reason, she paid much closer attention to expressing this part physically.

"The world of Act Two is much more sensory and embodied. It feels like a world beyond language. It is a world that cannot be fully captured by words, reason, logic, or law. I try to express it in language, but it is a world that cannot be articulated; I try to grasp it with reason, but it keeps slipping through my fingers. That is why, in Act Two, I think worlds that cannot be contained in language need to overflow."

Kim Shinrok likened Tessa in Act One to a well-bred racehorse, but said that in Act Two, Tessa is like a foal just learning to walk.

"Perhaps she begins to realize that her work as a lawyer is not a race, and that the law is not a game. In a world that has completely collapsed, Tessa must take her first step onto newly solid ground. I think she will come to understand that there is a way to walk, not just to race."

"Prima Passi" will be performed at the Chungmu Art Center Black Theater in Jung-gu, Seoul, through November 2.

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