Life
20th BIPAF showcases classics old and new
The opening performance of `A Midsummer Night's Dream.'
In its 20th year, the Busan International Performing Arts Festival will present various programs reflecting on its long history while laying the foundation for the present and future of the festival. The performances will be featured in indoor and outdoor theaters throughout the city.
The festival, from June 2 to 18, features 41 works from 11 participating countries. This year's opening performance is a rendition of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by director Im Do-Wan and the Sadari Movement Laboratory. Director Im reimagines the Shakespearean comedy and introduces elements of traditional Korean mask dance and movement. The performance will have multiple showings on June 9 and 10 at the Haneulyeon Theatre at Busan Cinema Center.
The closing performance of `Maestrissimo.'
The closing performance is the show "Maestrissimo" by Yllana, a performing arts troupe from Spain. Yllana returns to the BIPAF for the first time since staging sold-out performances in 2009 and 2013. Part chamber concert, part satirical comedy, "Maestrissimo" portrays the misadventures of a string quartet around the 17th and 18th centuries. The show tackles such topics as ethics, creation, originality and the value of art in society while also bringing to life key moments in the history of classical music. The performance will play three times from June 16 to 18 at the Haneulyeon Theatre.
A scene from `ROOMAN.'
Under the "Invited Performance" program, BIPAF will present the work of established theater troupes worldwide. On June 12 and 13, the Colombian ensemble Casa del Silencio will stage "Manu or The Illusion of Time," a pantomime performance that conveys the psychological and physical toll of war. The performance will be held at Haeun Hall at the Haeundae Cultural Center.
Australian visual artist Fleur Elise Noble brings her show "ROOMAN" to the Haneulyeon Theater on June 13 and 14. Part puppetry, part projection, part surreal live animation, this indefinable performance portrays ideas of obsession, loneliness and the desire to escape from a quotidian existence.
Finally, UK-based visual theater company Theatre Re will present the critically-acclaimed play "The Nature of Forgetting." The powerful and emotionally charged non-verbal production explores the devastating effects of dealing with early-onset dementia. People can experience this examination on memory and music at the Kyungsung University Concert Hall on June 16 and 17.
Ticket prices for performances range from 20,000 won to 40,000 won. A number of free and interactive events will also be offered citywide. For more information, visit the BIPAF website (bipaf.org).