The following week, JWR was in Seoul as a delegate to the International Association of Theatre Critics 2006 Extraordinary Congress: “New Theatricality and Criticism.” In the evenings, the discussions of the day took a back seat to actual performances.
Our initial show was Waiting for Godot—totally fascinating to experience Beckett’s brilliance in Korean. Lucky’s long rant made more sense than ever. Kim Sung Nyo’s one-woman show, Fairy in the Wall took the notion of identity to another sphere. Playing over two-dozen roles only served to make her tale of survival more vivid and personal than with a full-size troupe. In Three Beautiful Soul Mates we heard that “too much knowledge makes you blind.” Forced identity imposed by others and beautifully crafted masks to hide behind made this production an ideal metaphor for much of the Congress. It fell to Russia’s famed Formalny Theatre to bring its own “cirque” of the bizarre with its thought-provoking spectacle, Between Dog and Wolf. The gripping performance of Plonter brought the play’s action/interaction of Jews and Palestinians trying to exist in contemporary times into the foyer as all patrons were frisked by Israeli soldiers on their way into the theatre. Tellingly, the Israeli cast members played the Palestinians and vice versa. While mostly in Hebrew, one scene required nary a syllable in any language: Old woman, trying to hide at night; can’t avoid search light; one shot is heard; immediate blackout and deadly silence.
IATC Vice-president and Korean organizer Yun Cheol Kim and his volunteers did an incredible job of herding the delegates and speakers from place to place and kept the “trains running on time.” Lunch with the Mayor of Seoul, strolling through a busy street of shops, touring the Changdeokgung Palace and Huwon (Secret Garden) and a command performance of a traditional Shaman ritual ensured that all of us left with a feeling for his country as well as the stimulation of meeting like-minded writers from around the world.
With such an enlightening visit, JWR readers can expect to hear and see more about Cultural Life on the southern end of the Korean Peninsula.
