The History of Korean Western Theatre

한국 연극의 역사

  • Show
  • Theatre

Jaha Koo

Belgium – Republic of Korea / 2020 creation

Jaha Koo and his talking rice cooker examine the impact of Western culture on Korean cultural identity. Looking back in time, he questions the concepts of authenticity and self-censorship.

The History of Korean Western Theatre, Jaha Koo © Leontien Allemeersch

Presentation

Celebrating the centenary of Korean theatre, Jaha Koo realised that there is little room for his country’s dramatic tradition and that what is referred to as “Korean theatre” is actually largely influenced by Western culture. Why do South Koreans seem so unbothered by this, and why is Shakespeare such an important figure? From these simple questions, the composer and director examines the concept of self-censorship, exploring the flaws of modern Confucianism that shape lifestyles and social relationships in South Korea. This final installment in the Hamartia Trilogy (Lolling and Rolling, Cuckoo) travels back through time to understand the tragic impact of the past on our lives and wonders how we can give a better future to the generations to come.

자하 구는 말하는 전기밥솥과의 대화를 통해 서양 문학 고전이 한국 문화 정체성에 미친 영향을 파헤친다. 시간을 거슬러 올라가며, 그는 진정성과 자기검열이라는 개념을 탐구한다. 

Distribution

With Jaha Koo, Seri et Toad

Concept, text, direction, music, and video Jaha Koo
Dramaturgy Dries Douibi
Scenography and drawing Eunkyung Jeong
Artistic advise Pol Heyvaert
Hardware hacking Idella Craddock
Research Eunkyung Jeong, Jaha Koo
Research assistance Sang Ok Kim
Interviews Jooyoung Koh, Kiran Kim, Kyungmi Lee
Technical Team Tom Daniels, Bart Huybrechts

Production

Production CAMPO
Coproduction Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Münchner Kammerspiele (München), Frascati Producties (Amsterdam), Veem House for Performance (Amsterdam), SPRING performing arts festival (Utrecht), Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Zürich), Black Box teater (Oslo), International Summer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Tanzquartier Wien (Vienna), wpZimmer (Antwerp), Théâtre de la Bastille (Paris), Festival d’Automne à Paris
Soutien Beursschouwburg (Brusels), Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (Brusels), Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst
Résidences Kunstencentrum BUDA (Courtrai), wpZimmer (Antwerp), Decoratelier Jozef Wouters (Brussels), Doosan Art Center (Seoul)

Korea Arts Management Service(KAMS) works to connect Korean artists and their creations with stages and audiences across the world, supporting the international circulation and global presence of Korean performing arts. 

 For its 80th edition, the Festival d’Avignon welcomes Korean as its guest language. Through performances, literature, and a constellation of artistic encounters, this programme offers an opportunity to share with audiences the vitality, imagination, and cultural depth of contemporary Korean arts.

This invitation has grown out of the longstanding exchange and collaboration between the Seoul Performing Arts Festival(SPAF), an annually held festival organized by KAMS, and the Festival d’Avignon. KAMS is proud and delighted to join this initiative as a main partner, introducing outstanding works representing Korea to Avignon after 28 years. On this occasion, the SPAF will continue to strengthen its collaboration with the Festival d'Avignon.    

 We hope that the openness, resilience, and artistic imagination carried by the Korean language will resonate with audiences around the world, creating new echoes and connections. May this collaboration open new paths for artistic encounters and dialogue between Korea and the international performing arts community.

KAMS website

Practical infos

Durée Duration : 1h

Langue et surtitre In Korean with French and English subtitles

Last entry 15 minutes before the show.

Pictures

Audiovisual

And…

La matinale – 4 July

  • Café des idées
With Julien Gosselin, Kyung-Sung Lee, Rebecca Chaillon et Jaha Koo

Cloître Saint-Louis

Durée Duration : 1h

Cuckoo

쿠쿠
  • Show
  • Theatre
  • Jaha Koo

Gymnase du lycée Mistral

Durée Duration : 55 min