Genre / City	Theatre / Seoul
Dates	27 April at 15:30, 28 April at 15:30, 29 April at 16:30
Venue	At Ellipse Theatre “DAENDO”, Shizuoka Performing Arts Park
Duration	80 minutes
Language	In Korean with Japanese subtitles
seat	Non-reserved seating
Directed, conceived and translated by	LIMB Hyoungtaek
Production	Seoul Factory for the Performing Arts

Introduction

A top Korean play comes to World Theatre Festival Shizuoka 2019.

LIMB Hyoungtaek, one of the leading contemporary theatre directors in Korea, has adapted the Greek tragedy “Medea” to create an emotional song-and-dance production staged by the Seoul Factory theatre company he founded. Presented in the traditional Korean “pansori” performing style, the story is told through live singing and drum music and its actors’ dynamic martial arts movements. In this original work, LIMB makes two Medeas appear on the stage — one is a passionate woman crazed with jealousy; the other’s feelings stem from the conflicting hatred and love inside her. Altogether, the piece vividly displays a panorama of human emotions through the actors’ splendid and energetic performances. Audiences will see themselves reflected here in this Japan premiere of Seoul Factory’s most important work, which has already been performed many times outside Korea.

Synopsis

Medea runs away with her lover, Jason, and has two children with him. However, Jason leaves her and marries Glauce, the daughter of Creon, to further his quest for power. Burning with anger, Medea takes revenge on Creon and Glauce — but this also breaks her own heart and leads to her destroying herself in the end.

Director’s Profile

LIMB Hyoungtaek
Born in Seoul, Korea, LIMB Hyoungtaek began his training while in college, focusing on how to combine Western and Asian theatre disciplines. With the goal of further exploration, LIMB moved to New York and continued his work under the guidance of Mr Andrei SERBAN and Ms Anne BOGART at Columbia University. He also worked as a movement instructor at Schauspielhaus in Germany. LIMB holds an M.F.A. degree in theatre directing from Columbia University, New York. After his graduation in 1994, he founded the theatre company LITE, the Laboratory for directors mostly from Columbia University. Since then, he has been directing and acting both on stage and screen and has toured Europe several times with his company. Moving back to Seoul in 2000, LIMB directed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, which received national recognition in Korea for its unique combination of traditional and modern as well as Eastern and Western aesthetics. LIMB currently teaches at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, one of the most distinguished theatre schools in Korea and heads the acting programme there. LIMB is also the Artistic Director of the recently founded theatre company, the Seoul Factory for the Performing Arts.

Talks

◎Pre-performance talk: Starting 25 minutes before each performance
◎Post-performance talk by the artists: 29 April

Cast / Staff

Direction, concept and translation: LIMB Hyoungtaek
Original text: Euripides

Cast: LEE Chaekyung, LEE Sun, JEONG Euiuk, KIM Chunggun, LEE Suyeon, LEE Misook, BAEK Yoojin, KIM Hyemee, KIM Minjung, YOON Kyungro, PARK Soomin

Lighting and technical director: JEONG Taejin
Music director: YOON Kyungro
Video director: KIM Min
Scenography: BAE Seokyoung
Costume: CHOI Soonhwa
Assistant director and sound: BAEK Dojin
Choreography: KIM Soyee

Assistant director: SON Eujin, KIM Hyemee
Producing manager: PARK Jaiyeon

Production: Seoul Factory for the Performing Arts Seol Factory

Supported by Arts Council Korea

＜SPAC Staff＞
Stage manager: MITSU Hisashi
Stage: SUGIYAMA Yuri
Lighting: YOSHITSUGU Keisuke, HANAWA Yuuki
Sound: HAYASHI Tetsuya
Wardrobe: KAWAI Reiko, SATO Rise
Art work: WATANABE Hiroki
Interpretation and subtitle translation: FUJIMOTO Harumi
Subtitle operation(MINDAN SHIZUOKA): SUGIYAMA Rika
Production: KAJITANI Satoshi, KITAHORI Ruka

Technical director: MURAMATSU Atsushi
Lightning manager: HIGUCHI Masayuki
Sound manager: MIGITA Soichiro

Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan

Under the auspices of Korean Cultural Center, Korean Embassy in Japan