Here`s an opportunity for Korean audiences to get a variety of theater experiences from around the world.
The 3rd annual World Festival of National Theaters, the biggest of its kind in the country, will run for two months starting Sept. 4. The festival, hosted by the National Theater of Korea, will be featured at both the National Theater of Korea and Myongdong Theater in downtown Seoul.
This is a nationwide project led by the national theater to promote active cultural exchanges between Korea and foreign countries.
"Unlike other countries, there is only one national theater in Korea and we thought one of our major goals was to introduce foreign artwork here while exporting ours abroad," said Lim Youn-chul, the CEO of National Theater of Korea, at Tuesday`s press conference in Seoul.
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The festival, since beginning in 2007, has been gaining increasing popularity among locals and foreign theaters, drawing in around 23,000 people last year, according to its organizers.
Yet Lim showed his ambition to further promote the festival this year with a widened variety of performances.
While dramas account for a large part of the performances to be featured in the festival, other diverse genres of arts - operas, ballets and even classical music - will also be presented to secure more for the viewers to see, Lim said.
Under the theme, "Rediscovery of the classics," a total of 25 works from nine countries, including Korea, Russia, Brazil, will be staged during the feat.
The list includes four performances by the art groups under the national theater - "Three Sisters" by National Drama Company, "Red Cliff" by National Changgeuk (Korean Traditional Opera) Company, "Kaya" by National Dance Company, and "Original Concert" by National Orchestra.
"One of the notable works that audience might want to pay attention to is `The Tempest` which will open the feat," said producer Lim Sang-woo.
"The Tempest," created by Contemporary Legend Theater of Taiwan, will be staged Sept. 4-6 at the national theater. It is a Beijing opera adaptation of the Shakespeare play. The work is a collaboration between renowned film director Tsui Hark and Beijing opera actor and director Wu Hsing-kuo.
The show replaces the fantasy and exaggeration from the original play with unique theatrical and musical factors characteristic of Beijing operas, according to the festival organizers. Being closer to a musical, it has the potential to appeal to an international audience, they said.
Meanwhile, "Esmeralda," one of the popular productions of Kremlin Ballet Theater of Russia, will be staged Oct. 8-10 at National Theater of Korea. The Kremlin Ballet is one of the top three Russian ballet troupes, along with Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet.
The troupe`s "Esmeralda" is a ballet version of popular French musical "Notre Dame de Paris." It focuses on drama and delicate depiction of emotions, rather than highly-technical choreography, festival organizers said.
The performance will appeal to Korean audiences thanks to the popularity of the musical which has been loved here through its French and Korean performances, they added.
Marking the 50th anniversary of amity with Brazil, the festival also invites Claudio Santoro Symphony Orchestra to play unique Brazilian tunes like Villa Lobo`s Bachianas Brasilerias No. 4 and Michael Colina`s "Los Caprichos."
"We specially requested the orchestra to play the Brazilian-style Bach work by Lobos, because we expected that it would appeal to Korean classical music fans," CEO Lim said.
For a detailed schedule and ticket prices, call (02) 2280-4221.
(youngaah@heraldcorp.com)

By Koh Young-aah