THE HISTORY OF KOREAN WESTERN THEATRE

JAHA KOO (KR/BE)

After last year’s acclaimed Cuckoo at the FIT, the South Korean artist returns to Lugano with his new performance The History of Korean Western Theatre.

In 2008, Jaha Koo attended a symposium organized to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Korean theater. Perplexed, he wondered if there were other countries that could establish such a precise genealogy of their theater, when and how Western theater was imported to his country, and how it replaced popular and traditional theater to the point that it became the only theatrical expression in South Korea.

Why are South Koreans so proud of this Western interpretation? And why does everyone continue to refer to Shakespeare? It raises questions about tradition, self-censorship, and authenticity. The History of Korean Western Theatre is the fruit of these reflections and strives to decipher the identity of Korean theater. It focuses on how the past tragically affects our lives today and unveils the cracks in modern Confucianism whose legacy is tinged with Americanization, high technology, militarism, patriarchy, and totalitarianism, while still continuing to shape the moral system, lifestyle, and social relations between generations in South Korea.
Thinking of a new generation of South Koreans, it attempts to break with a tradition full of self-censorship and keeping up appearances. Because only when we rely on an authentic version of history can we pass on a future to the next generation.

SUN 11.10.2020 | 20.30
PALCO TEATRO LAC – LUGANO

22.00 After-show meeting with the audience,
moderator Simon Valdwogel