Seoul Theater Festival‘s grand prize play, ‘Ttupuri’.”/>
Poster for the 44th Seoul Theater Festival’s grand prize play, ‘Ttupuri’.
Families caught up in the guilt-by-association system for North Korean defectors
The story behind the movement against the bombing site and its closure
A masterpiece that swept 4 categories at the Seoul Theater Festival
The story of Maehyang-ri, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, where the roaring sound was constant due to US military bombing exercises, and the story of a family trying to protect their daily lives.
The play ‘Tteopuri’ will open at the Daehakro Arts Theater Grand Theater from November 22nd to December 1st. Tickets were opened on the 17th at Arco, Daehakro Arts Theater and Interpark Ticket. The play ‘Tteopuri’ was selected as an official participation in the 44th Seoul Theater Festival in 2023 and is a masterpiece that swept four categories, including the Seoul Theater Festival Grand Prize, Play Award, Acting Award, and New Actor Award.
Centering on a family caught up in the guilt-by-association system of North Korean defectors, it tells the story of 1988, when the movement against the Maehyang-ri bombing site began, and 2005, when the bombing site was closed. The Maehyang-ri bombing site was closed as a result of the 18-year opposition movement, but 16 years later, unexploded bombs that have not been removed are still piled up in the middle of the village. Numerous unexploded bombs and rusty shell casings lie dormant in the sea in front of the village.
The Korean War, which is currently under ceasefire, has already become a banal and distant story in our lives. Like the unfinished Korean War, the suffering of countless civilian victims caused by the war continues to this day. This play reminds us of the Korean War and the civilian casualties that have not yet been resolved, and raises questions that the audience can reflect on about the meaning of the armistice state.
Maehyang-ri, located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, had 600 bombing drills every day for 54 years, despite its pretty meaning as ‘a town filled with the scent of plum blossoms’, and the village residents had to constantly suffer as a result. Although half a century has passed since the end of the war, the play ‘Tteopuri’ is a work that exposes the violence inflicted by the state on the lives of civilians in the name of ensuring the existence of the nation.
As it contains the story of the residents of Maehyang-ri who suffered at every moment due to bombing drills, the focus is on the sound of the bombing on stage. By playing the sound of bombing close to the audience, the production is intended to allow the audience to sympathize as much as possible with the sounds that tormented Chun-Mae’s family at every moment of their lives.
By allowing the audience to sympathize with their lives through the senses of the body, the despair and pain of the residents during the bombing can be seen from the present and reflected on old wounds.
Hwang Se-won as Chun-mae.
Park Wan-gyu as Jeong Hyeon.
Seong No-jin as Unjeong.
Danny Ahn as Dong-hee.
The play ‘Tteopuri’ features a large number of prestigious actors with accumulated experience in acting. Led by Hwang Se-won, the head of the troupe Soo and who plays the role of Chun-mae, the 44th Seoul Theater Festival grand prize members Park Wan-gyu, Park Cho-rong, Lee Soo-hyung, Park Seung-hee, Kim Seong-cheol, Seong No-jin, Kim Hee-chang, Lim Ji-hwan, Noh Sang-won, and Oh Taek-jo have reunited.
Following the play ‘When I See a Rainbow in the Wide Sky, My Heart Dances’, Danny Ahn of the national group god joins the cast as Dong-hee, raising expectations.
The production, which will enhance the level of perfection of the play with solid actors, is ‘Na Saengmun’, which received favorable reviews from critics and an enthusiastic response from the audience, ‘Looking for a Name’, which won Best Picture and Best Play at the Geochang International Theater Festival, and ‘The Wide Sky’ at the 41st Seoul Theater Festival. When I see a rainbow, my heart dances), and Tae-Hwan Koo, who led two performances to the grand prize at the 44th Seoul Theater Festival (Tteopuri), will take on the role.
The play is written by Yun-sik Kim, and other outstanding creators such as Dong-woo Park on stage, Tae-geun Kim on music, and Yu-jin Park on lighting.
Reporter Yang Hyeong-mo hmyang0307@donga.com See more of this reporter’s articles
