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By Chung Ah-young
Staff reporter
The 9th Uijeongbu Music Theater Festival (UMTF) will embark on a 14-day journey of international performing arts in the northeastern suburb of Seoul from May 10 to 23.
About 10 official invitation and some 60 fringe performances will be presented by six countries ― France, Italy, China, the United Kingdom, Canada and Korea.
Since its inception in 2002, the festival has presented a variety of genres from mime, dance and music from home and abroad, particularly from the world's top theater works and street performances.
``The UMTF is no longer a festival only for performing artists or the citizens of Uijeongbu. Performing arts professionals and music theater lovers all over the world have shown interest in the UMTF. It has brought excitement and joy with its colorful assortment of music theater performances and attracted recognition, both in Korea and abroad as a performing arts festival of experimentation and exploration,''
Rhee Jin-bae, general director of the festival, said on the event's official Web site.
This year's festival will open with ``Dulcinea's Lament,'' a Canadian performance at the Grand Theater of the Uijeongbu Arts Center on May 10 to 11. Featuring interactive multi-media effects and superb stage directorship, ``Dulcinea's Lament'' will be performed by Canadian top actress, singer and dancer Dulcinea Langfelder. The actress expresses history, world views and feminism in her solo show by delivering the quip-laden script and dancing on the stage through the humorous but critical look at the female character, Dulcinea of ``Don Quixote.''
``The Shadow Orchestra'' will put on an exotic performance combining magic, mime, music and physical theater. Full of surprises and inventiveness, it was one of the hottest performances at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The performance will be presented on May 14 to 15 at the Small Theater of the Uijeongbu Arts Center.
A troupe from China will introduce ``Legend of the White Snake,'' which portrays the beautiful and bizarre love story between a man and a benevolent white snake sorceress, their love forbidden by the laws of heaven. The performance uses vivid and poetic visual effects of traditional Chinese paintings projected on seven screens, creating a fairy-tale like stage set. A narrator draws images on the screens while telling the story. A singer appears at the beginning of each episode and actors and actresses speak in contemporary, idiomatic language. The show will run from May 18 to 19 at the Small Theater of the Uijeongbu Arts Center.
``Les Gaspard'' is a family marionette show that interacts with the audience. The outdoor street show is based on impromptu performances, resulting in completely individual and engaging routines. The show will be staged in Haengbok-no Street near Uijeongbu Station on May 15 and outside of the Uijeongbu Arts Center on May 16.
For the closing performance, ``The Overcoat'' from the U.K. will hit the stage on May 22 to 23 at the Grand Theater of the Uijeongbu Arts Center. The performance was inspired by Gogol's work by the same title, which deals with a grotesque fantasy mixing with reality to portray a vivid critique of modern consumption. It is an extraordinary blend of bold physicality, haunting images and music.
``Lee Choon-poong Nabongki'' (May 18), ``Abichaja'' (May 11 to12) and ``Macbeth Slam'' (May 15 to 16) make up the local contributions to the festival.
Beside the official invitation programs, professionals, amateurs and relevant performing arts agencies will take part in the fringe programs, exhibitions and academic programs.
For more information, visit www.umtf.or.kr.
[Korea Times]05-09-2010 20:40/ By Chung Ah-young Staff reporter
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr |
