New Diorama Theatre presents the world premiere of Container, a multi-vocal performance by British-Korean poet / theatre maker / artist Alan Fielden, exploring the violence and tenderness of living through catastrophe. Drawing influence from Laurie Anderson’s music and Robert Ashley’s television operas, Container makes use of overlapping choral narratives, live music and polyphonic sound to … [Read More]
Category: Theatre
Lear Screening + Q&A with Director Jung Young-doo
To celebrate Director Jung Young-Doo‘s Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, a special screening of the National Changgeuk Company‘s Lear will be held. Changgeuk, a traditional form of Korean musical theatre, blends music, dance, and drama to create a captivating experience. Following its successful world premiere at the Barbican Centre in 2024, this screening of the full-length … [Read More]
Kim’s Convenience: nationwide theatre tour
Now a global smash hit, this hilarious and heartwarming drama about a family-run Korean store that inspired the Netflix phenomenon, is written by Ins Choi, who calls the play his “love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who now call Canada their home.” After two successful runs in London in 2024, the … [Read More]
Cancelling Patji – presented by Namoo Chae Lee
Cancelling Patji is a play about two sisters whose father was called out at the biggest #MeToo case of the country on their special day of shamanistic ritual to wash off their bad fate. Mirroring the Korean traditional fairy tale of Kongji and Patji, we see how the guilt transfer to the family members and … [Read More]
Moon Kim’s The Waiting Room, at Space Theatre Canary Wharf
Welcome to my room, I’m so happy you’re here. Let me tell you all about Cactus and how wonderful she is. But please don’t leave me. A story from a Korean perspective that transcends culture. This is a story about love and longing. A story that you cannot afford to miss. ‘The Waiting Room’ was … [Read More]
Theatre round-up: four recent Korean stage productions
This year in London we have been fortunate so far to have enjoyed four Korean stage productions: two imports with a run of several weeks each, and two shoestring-budget local productions with a handful of performances. Which would we go to see again? Do the plucky locals win out over the imports? [Read More]
The Comfort Woman, at King’s Head Theatre
In a moving one-woman performance, experience the powerful story of Minja, a young girl from a remote South Korean village whose life is shattered by World War II. The play follows Minja’s journey from childhood to her innocence being cruelly stripped away when she is deceived and abducted by the Japanese Army, thrust into a … [Read More]
Kim’s Convenience returns for a second season
The award-winning play which inspired the Netflix Comedy is back by popular demand. Following a sell-out season at Park Theatre earlier this year, KIM’S CONVENIENCE will transfer to Riverside Studios for a strictly limited season from 5 SEPTEMBER – 26 OCTOBER 2024. There’s humour and heart in every aisle… Now a global smash hit, this … [Read More]
Moon Kim’s The Waiting Room, at the Camden Fringe
“Maybe I’m not talented enough to open that door.” Join Lemon, a girl trapped in a timeless limbo, pining for her for her lost love, Cactus. As Lemon grapples with the mystery of the door that won’t open and the loved ones who have disappeared through it, audiences are invited to laugh, cry and reflect … [Read More]
Woori Han’s Housemates musical, at the Camden Fringe
Join us for “Housemates,” a comedic gem by Korean playwright Woori Han and Korean composer Su Kim. Set in picturesque ‘Debden,’ this musical invites you on a rollicking journey with two unlikely companions – a Korean and an American – as they navigate shared living and attempt a memorable graduation party. Cultural clashes provide a … [Read More]
K-music 2024: National Changgeuk Company — Lear
Discover this visionary restaging of one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies into a spellbinding traditional opera from some of South Korea’s leading creatives, performers and musicians. This major new production, critically acclaimed at its premiere in 2022, retells a familiar story in the form of Changgeuk. This culturally significant and artistically rich theatrical form in Korea, blends … [Read More]
Moon Kim’s The Waiting Room, at Brighton’s Lantern Theatre
A girl called Lemon is looking for her lover, Cactus. She realises Cactus left her, and is on the other side of the door. Lemon tries to talk to Cactus, she desperately wants Cactus back. But she doesn’t hear anything from him. All the people she loved disappeared through that door but she couldn’t open … [Read More]
The Comfort Woman – at Rosemary Branch Theatre
Amid the chaos of World War II in South Korea The Comfort Woman tells the story of Minja, a young girl deceived and coerced into serving as a sex slave for the Japanese army. Minja faces unimaginable horrors and grapples with the profound trauma inflicted upon her, her innocence shattered by the harsh realities of … [Read More]
Jaha Koo’s Haribo Kimchi at the Purcell Room
Floating aromas of a steamy simmering soup, the sharp sound of a knife quickly slicing spring onions, the hissing and sizzling of mushrooms on a scorching fire. In Haribo Kimchi, we find ourselves in a pojangmacha, a typical late-night snack bar that can be found scattered across the streets of South Korea. There we meet several … [Read More]
Youngsun Yoon’s Kiss: a minimalist study in the difficulty of communicating
Over the years, Londoners have had a few, but not many, opportunities to see the work of a Korean playwright on stage. The count increases if you include musicals or performances in provincial theatres or at the Edinburgh fringe, where each year you can normally find at least one 50-minute Korean stage production, but if … [Read More]
Kim’s Convenience: a great family night out
On a cold January night, if you’re looking for some warm and cozy entertainment, Kim’s Convenience fits the bill admirably. The Park Theatre’s intimate stage has a homely feel. The scene, needless to say, is a convenience store, provisioned, as it happens, courtesy of New Malden’s Korea Foods. Audience members in the front row of … [Read More]