Photo: Leontien Allemeersch
Celebrating the centenary of Korean theatre in 2008, the South Korean theatre maker / composer Jaha Koo realized that there is actually no space for Korean theatre tradition: what is regarded as Korean theatre is largely determined by the Western canon. But why are the South Koreans so proud of this Western interpretation? And why does everyone keep referring to Shakespeare? It raises questions about tradition, self-censorship and authenticity.
In this final piece of his Hamartia Trilogy, Jaha Koo resolutely focuses on the future. Meticulously, he exposes the tragic impact of the past on our lives, unveiling the small cracks in modern Confucianism - an ideology that continues to define the moral system, way of life and social relations between generations in South Korea. With a new generation of South Koreans in mind, he attempts to break with a tradition full of self-censorship and keeping up appearances. Because only when based on an authentic version of history, he can pass on a future to the next generation.
Premiere: International Summer Festival of Kampnagel, Hamburg (DE), 2020
Duration: 55 min
Trigger warning: This performance contains explicit content, images related to suicide and loud music.
Duration: 55 min
Trigger warning: This performance contains explicit content, images related to suicide and loud music.
Title in Korean: 한국 연극의 역사
The Hamartia Trilogy
Since 2014, Jaha Koo has been developing The Hamartia Trilogy, a series that examines how an irrevocable past continues to shape the present and the future. The History of Korean Western Theatre is the final part of the trilogy, following Lolling and Rolling and Cuckoo.
Borrowed from Aristotle’s Poetics, the term hamartia refers to a decisive tragic error. In this final work, Jaha Koo critically examines how Western theatre became institutionalized as “Korean theatre,” revealing the enduring structural traces of colonial legacy within artistic language and cultural imagination.
Credits
Concept, text, direction, music, and video
Jaha Koo
Jaha Koo
Performance
Jaha Koo, Seri, and Toad
Jaha Koo, Seri, and Toad
Dramaturgy
Dries Douibi
Dries Douibi
Scenography and Bibisae drawing
Eunkyung Jeong
Eunkyung Jeong
Artistic advisor
Pol Heyvaert
Pol Heyvaert
Technical Team
Korneel Coessens, Bart Huybrechts, and Tom Daniels
Korneel Coessens, Bart Huybrechts, and Tom Daniels
Hardware hacking
Idella Craddock
Idella Craddock
Research
Eunkyung Jeong and Jaha Koo
Eunkyung Jeong and Jaha Koo
Research assistance
Sang Ok Kim
Sang Ok Kim
Interviews
Jooyoung Koh, Kiran Kim, and Kyungmi Lee
Jooyoung Koh, Kiran Kim, and Kyungmi Lee
Production
CAMPO
CAMPO
Co-production
Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Münchner Kammerspiele, Frascati Producties (Amsterdam), Veem House for Performance (Amsterdam), SPRING Performing Arts Festival (Utrecht), Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Black Box Teater (Oslo), International Summer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Tanzquartier Wien, wpZimmer (Antwerp), Théâtre de la Bastille (Paris), and Festival d’Automne à Paris
Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Münchner Kammerspiele, Frascati Producties (Amsterdam), Veem House for Performance (Amsterdam), SPRING Performing Arts Festival (Utrecht), Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Black Box Teater (Oslo), International Summer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Tanzquartier Wien, wpZimmer (Antwerp), Théâtre de la Bastille (Paris), and Festival d’Automne à Paris
Residencies
Kunstencentrum BUDA (Kortrijk), wpZimmer (Antwerp), Decoratelier Jozef Wouters (Brussels), and Doosan Art Center (Seoul)
Kunstencentrum BUDA (Kortrijk), wpZimmer (Antwerp), Decoratelier Jozef Wouters (Brussels), and Doosan Art Center (Seoul)
With the support of
Beursschouwburg, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, and Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst
Beursschouwburg, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, and Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst
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Photo: Leontien Allemeersch
Photo: Leontien Allemeersch
