2011-09-05

Era of Medium-Sized Theaters

For the last five years, the number has tripled of the medium-sized theaters (i.e. theaters with 500 1,000 seats each) that represent themselves as producing theater , and are operated by government or municipal agencies. Accordingly, their importance has increased as well in the Korean performing arts community.

Representative examples of the theaters are the Main Hall of the Arko Arts Theater (608 seats), the Towol Theater of the Seoul Arts Center (671 seats), the M Theater of the Sejong Center (639 seats), the Theater Yong of the National Museum of Korea (862 seats), the Chongdong Theater (400 seats), the Dongsoong Hall of the Dongsoong Art Center (450 seats), and the Yonkang Hall of the Doosan Art Center (620 seats).

What could explain the renewed attention to the medium-sized theaters? In short, two phases offer the answer: young directors and producing theaters. Promoting themselves as producing theaters, the theaters have rolled up their sleeves in production, hand in hand with young artists (i.e. writers and directors). Widening the horizon as the venue where audiences meet art pieces, the theaters have assumed the active role as planner and producer in creation as well.

The same rationale applies to and explains the public favor commanded by the three theaters opened in 2009: the Myeongdong Theater (558 seats), the Namsan Arts Center (480 seats), and the Main Hall of the Daehangno Arts Theater (498 seats)...

Read the complete article at: http://eng.theapro.kr

Written by Sojin JU _ Korea Arts Management Service