KB News Desk
The National Theater of Korea will hold a three-week cinema screening series featuring filmed versions of its steady-selling stage productions at CGV Yongsan from Aug. 4-18 as part of an initiative to broaden public access to the performing arts.
Three productions will be screened on consecutive Tuesdays.
The series opens on Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. with the National Changgeuk Company’s “Farewell My Concubine,” which has sold out every run since its 2019 premiere. Directed by Taiwanese Peking opera veteran Wu Hsing-kuo, with music and vocal composition by star panori singer Lee Ja-ram, the production combines the stylized movement of Peking opera with the Korean traditional vocal theater genre “changgeuk” to depict the tragic romance between Gen. Hang Woo (Gen. Xiang Wu) and Woo Hee (Consort Yu).
On Aug. 11, the National Dance Company’s “The Book of the Dead” will be screened. Choreographed by the company’s artistic director Kim Jong-deok, the work draws inspiration from the Tibetan “Book of the Dead” and follows the soul’s journey through the afterlife using Korean dance, contemporary music and multimedia.
The final screening, on Aug. 18 at 2 p.m., will feature a family concert presented by the National Orchestra of Korea. The production follows a 6-year-old child named Gyo-jin, who learns to express emotions while traveling through a musical world with an instrument companion named Entongi. Traditional Korean instruments perform familiar Korean children’s songs throughout the concert.
Admission is free through a lottery system, with applications open to the public via the National Theater of Korea’s website until Sunday.
