Yonhap Feature) Seoul's shopping district aims to retrieve cultural reputation

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By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- Famous among locals and outlanders alike, Myeongdong is
Seoul's trademark fashion headquarters, packed with a mix of boutiques selling
haute couture and street vendors luring visitors in different tongues.

Now, this trendy neighborhood is hoping to build a new -- in fact an "old" --
reputation, as it opens and refurbishes a slew of theaters this year.
"Not many young people know this, but Myeongdong was once a cultural hub where
poets, writers, actors and musicians would flock to, discussing art and culture
over cigarettes and coffee," said theater critic Kim Won-woo. "All that began to
change about three decades ago, when the national theater moved out of the area."
Myeongdong Theater, formerly known as the National Theater of Korea, is reopening
on Friday after a three-year renovation. The government bought the building for
40 billion won (US$32 million), constructing a Baroque style 552-seat playhouse,
evoking its original form.
"I am getting carried away already," said actor Chang Min-ho, who attended an
actors' night last month ahead of the theater's official opening. "I am guessing
there will be a lot of people like me returning with pounding hearts."
"We lived through an era when watching a play in Myeongdong was considered the
most sophisticated cultural activity," the 84-year-old actor said. "I never
thought I would live to see the theater returning to the area."
Built in 1934 under the Japanese colonial rule of Korea, the playhouse served as
Korea's landmark theater until it moved to across town to Jangchungdong in 1973.
Serving as a mecca for artists and actors, countless operas, plays and concerts
were held at the theater, most notably "La Traviata" in 1948 and "Hamlet" in
1949. In a more modern thread, the first Miss Korea competition opened there in
1957.
With aims to restore the theater's past glory, Myeongdong Theater will be mainly
presenting dramas, said Koo Ja-hung, its president.
The opening performance will be "Maeng Jinsa's Happy Day," written by Oh
Young-jin and directed by Lee Byung-hoon, running from Friday through June 21.
Actor-turned-Culture Minister Yu In-chon will make a cameo appearance, ministry
officials said.
"We chose the piece because actors and actresses from all age groups can perform
together," Koo said. "We thought this would be a symbolic way of telling people
that the theater has returned to the heart of Seoul."
Other smaller theaters are also opening or looking to reestablish themselves in
the area.
The Myeongdong Art Center opened May 15 last year, funded by celebrities and art
devotees hoping to add a cultural flavor to the booming commercial center.
The 410-seat playhouse was designed with seats arranged close to the stage so
that actors can "directly communicate" with audiences, officials at the center
explained. The theater is located in the UNESCO building in central Myeongdong,
less than 15 minutes walk from the new Myeongdong Theater.
"We are hoping to see an increased number of audiences after Myeongdong Theater
opens," said Kim Myeong-eun, an official at the art center. "It means a lot to
Korea to turn Myeongdong into a cultural district as it is one of the key tourist
attractions."
Foreigners already represent more than 20 percent of the arthouse's audience, Kim
added. The center provides subtitles for foreign visitors.
The theater has recently hosted "A Dwarf Who Loved Snow White," breakdance
performances, "Marionette" and the comical martial arts show "Any Beat."
Several blocks away, the 70-seat Samilro Changgo Theater has been "surviving,"
said Jung Dae-kyung, its president since 2004.
Established in 1975, the theater came close to shutting down several times, once
serving as a printing house and taking other forms during economic downturns. But
art lovers and performers across the country have continued to back the
playhouse, Jung said.
Samilro Changgo will try something new this year, facilitating cultural exchanges
with foreign directors and actors in concert with the reopening of Myeongdong
Theater.
"We are proud that we survived through the difficult times to see the area
restoring its reputation as a cultural space," Jung said. "Working with a foreign
master for the first time in 34 years, we hope to see many more foreign audiences
to show them the real quality of Korean plays."
"Yi Sang Counts to Thirteen," directed by Lee Breuer, an American who is famous
in experimental theater circles, will be staged at Samilro Changgo through June
28. The play tells the story of the late Korean poet Yi Sang, who wrote under
Japanese colonial rule.
Another small-sized theater, Haechi Hall, opened in April at the shopping center
Myeongdong M Plaza building. The 200-seat playhouse targets mostly foreign
visitors and youngsters with musicals and new experimental shows.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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