Every year at this stage in the year, I look back on the cultural highlights, whether they be live performances, exhibitions, movies or books that I have encountered over the past twelve months. Every year I lament that I’ve been unable to cover everything, that I’m getting slower and that there’s been even more to […]
Category: Theatre
[Birmingham] Orange Polar Bear, at Birmingham Repertory Theatre
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Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Hanyong Theatre, and the National Theatre Company of Korea, in association with Birmingham City University present: Orange Polar Bear by Sun-Duck Ko and Evan Placey Birmingham Repertory Theatre | Centenary Square | Broad St | Birmingham B1 2EP 01 Nov 2018 – 10 Nov 18 Tickets from £10 | Book tickets Performed […]
Korean performers at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe
I make it that there are eleven Korean or Korea-related performances at this year’s Fringe, plus one workshop. It’s nice that Brush Theatre are putting in their regular appearance – always popular with the younger audience – and we have newcomers such as Korean-American stand-up comedian Olivia Rhee and, from Kazakhstan, telling the story of […]
Edinburgh Fringe showcase at Sadlers Wells
Following the success of last year’s Fringe preview, once again Sadler’s Wells hosts a night showcasing some of the Korean acts before they head to Edinburgh. Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018 London Showcase 19:00, Friday 27 July 2018 (followed by a post-show reception) Lilian Baylis Studio | Sadler’s Wells | Rosebery Avenue | London, EC1R 4TN […]
In-sook Chappell: The Free Nine, at the National Theatre
In-sook Chappell’s second new play this year gets a performance on the South Bank: The Free 9 by In-Sook Chappell National Theatre: Dorfman Theatre | Upper Ground | South Bank | London SE1 9PX Fri 29 June, 7pm £5.00 (or £8 for both Connections shows on the same night) | Book tickets In-Sook Chappell tkes […]
[On tour] In-Sook Chappell’s Mountains: The Dreams of Lily Kwok
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Korean-born adoptee In-Sook Chappell has a major new play going on tour for 10 weeks. Catch it if you can. The playwright comments: “I was born in Korea and came to the UK as a baby and was brought up as English. Because of this I am interested in how immigrants often erase a part […]
The Great Wave plays at the National Theatre
The National Theatre hosts a new play set in Japan and North Korea. Related talks include an introduction to the book produced as part of a British Council project in North Korea. The Great Wave A new play by Francis Turnly | co-production with the Tricycle Theatre 10 March – 14 April Dorfman Theatre, National […]
American Hwangap by Lloyd Suh at Typhoon 2017
A staged play reading presented by Yellow Earth Theatre: American Hwangap – by Lloyd Suh Sun 26th Nov 3:00pm Typhoon EAST Rich Mix | 35 Bethnal Green Rd | London E1 6LA Tickets from Rich Mix website Directed by Louise Mai Newberry Hwangap /huːæŋɡæp/ noun – a milestone signifying the completion of the Eastern Zodiac […]
Fringe review: Kokdu – The Soul Mate
Intended to be a simple morality tale about respect for the dead and dying, as well as an exposition of Korean folk and shamanistic beliefs about burial customs and the afterlife, this ambitious production combines strong visuals and colourful costumes with storytelling that is an uncomfortable mixture of seriousness and slapstick. Sometimes it’s good to […]
One Day, Maybe: Hull City of Culture work inspired by Gwangju
An intriguing project as part of Hull’s year as UK City of Culture. “Deep within a hidden office complex in Hull city centre, a mysterious new Korean technology company is about to change the way we view the world.” One Day, Maybe Created by dreamthinkspeak | Commissioned by Hull UK City of Culture 2017 Friday […]
Think Korea 2006 – an introduction
Think Korea 2006 was an ambitious programme of cultural and other events organised by the Korean Embassy as part of the “Korea-UK Mutual Visit Year”. There was, I believe, a reciprocal series of UK-related events organised in Korea, but I never saw any publicity about it. One event I do know of: the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra […]
Korean performers at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe
A detailed mining of the Edinburgh Fringe website reveals twenty Korean performances plus one talk this year. Magic show Snap makes a return, along with the ever-popular drum show Tago, both part of a “Korean Season presented by AtoBiz Ltd” – who also bring new acts Kokdu and Ensemble Su. I must say I’m a […]
In-sook Chappell’s This Isn’t Romance gets Korean performance
Long-standing followers of Korea-related events in London will remember In-sook Chappell’s play This isn’t Romance. LKL’s review can be found here. Seoullites can now see the play performed in a new Korean language version entitled 이건 로맨스가 아니야 at the National Theatre of Korea, 2 – 18 June 2017. Details here. I think it’s fair to […]
Korean performers needed for Hull City of Culture Gwangju project
dreamthinkspeak, pioneers of site responsive performance, are creating a new production entitled ONE DAY MAYBE as part of the HULL CITY of CULTURE programme of events. The production is scheduled for September this year. ONE DAY, MAYBE is inspired by the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising in South Korea. The project casts an eye on the […]
Korean theatres celebrate Shakespeare
“South Korean theaters have launched a series of reinterpreted Shakespearean plays for the fall-winter season of 2016 to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the globally revered British poet and playwright.” Full story on Yonhap
Fringe visit: The Tiniest Frog Prince in the World
I was feeling grumpy when I went into this show and had decided I was not going to enjoy it. I had rushed to get there having just got off the train. It had started late, and if it overran I wasn’t going to have time to get to the next show. And I’m not […]
Fringe visit: Girl
Modl Theatre Company is perhaps best known in this country for its work aimed at younger audiences, but it is a diverse company which also engages with more adult material too. And you can’t get much more adult than a graphic description of the surgical procedure that the Japanese forced upon young Korean girls so […]