A production of 'Faust' by Slovenian director Tomas Pandur is to be the closing performance at this year's Seoul Performing Arts Festival on Oct. 29 and 30.
The 16th Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) raised its curtains this weekend with a focus on art as a medium for philosophical inquiry.
Under the theme of "Philosophy on stage," the program this year features 17 performances from six countries, including Korea, Poland, Belgium, Canada, Slovenia and the U.K. The various acts will go up on stage at the Arko Arts Theater in Jongno-gu and the Daehakro Arts Theater in the Daehakro theater district of Seoul.
The festival opened this year with the play "Woodcutter," a piece by Polish director Krystian Lupa. The performance took audiences on a ride through the plights of the modern artist, touching upon the complicated relationship between the self and society at large. The act, at a whopping 4 hours and 40 minutes, brought the house to a standing ovation on opening night.
In a few weeks, "Faust" by Slovenian director Tomas Pandur (1963-2016) will close the festival on Oct. 29 and 30. The piece, offering a modern interpretation of the tragic play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, was the last piece that the late director worked on before unexpectedly passing away this April of a heart attack.
Belgian director Jean-Michel d'Hoop, known for his explorations of different artistic mediums, puts on a performance of 'The Ventriloquists' School,' a play featuring human-sized puppets that explore the complexities of human life.
Thanks to this year's theme, a number of philosophical performances will be hitting the stage. Belgian director Jean-Michel d'Hoop, known for experimenting with different artistic mediums and styles, brings to the stage "The Ventriloquists' School," a play featuring human-sized puppets. The play begins when Celeste, the story's protagonist, falls headlong into the mysterious world of a ventriloquist's school. The piece will go on stage from Oct. 13 to 16 at the Daehakro Arts Theater.
Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus returns to Korea for the first time in three years with the piece 'Speak Low if You Speak Love,' a dance performance that combines experimental live music with the romantic gestures of modern dance.
Modern dance performances by Canadian and Belgian dance troupes are another highlight of this year's festival.
"Prism," a dance performance by the Montreal Dance Company will showcase majestic movements against the stark contrast of extreme lighting on Oct. 23 and 24. Canadian Benoit Lachambre choreographed the piece, which unfolds as six dancers touch and collide in dance in a game of the subconscious where bodies, sounds, and lighting each take on individual roles as actors.
There is also "Speak Low if You Speak Love" performed by the Belgian dance company Ultima Vez and choreographed by Wim Vandekeybus. The piece tells a love story through the gestures of modern dance. Contemporary musician Mauro Pawlowski wrote the experimental live music that accompanies the performance, and it's scheduled for Oct. 25 and 26 at the Arko Arts Center.
'Excuse Me' is a pansori performance based on Kim Ae-ran's novel 'No Knocking in This House.' The story looks into the lives of modern people, to explore the fear and uncertainty felt by women in their 20s and 30s.
One of the festival's local performances, the pansori epic "Excuse Me" is based on Kim Ae-ran's novel "No Knocking in This House" and is worthy of note.
The piece centers on five women who live together in a boarding house, and looks into the lives of modern youth, exploring the fear and uncertainty felt by women as they journey through their 20s and 30s.
"The piece takes a close look at the lives of modern women, and in turn reflects on the lives of the audience members and all those who were involved in the making of the production," said Lee Jaram, the narrative singer known for her unique pansori performances. "I hope that the audience will take the time to connect the dots between themselves and the characters that tell their stories on stage."
"Excuse Me" will be performed from Oct. 20 to 22 at the Arko Arts Center.
Tickets for the Seoul Performing Arts Festival are on sale at the Art Council Korea website (www.koreapac.kr) and at Interpark (ticket.interpark.com).
More information about the festival can be found at the website below.
http://spaf.or.kr/2016/
By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Seoul Performing Arts Festival
hlee10@korea.kr
