Nikkei Asia Prizes 1998

Kim Jeong-ok

Director Draws On Asian Tradition Ethnic identity plays major role in plays of Kim Jeong-ok

BY JUNICHI AOYAGI
Senior staff writer

When Kim Jeong-ok, 66, set out on what has become a lifelong mission to develop a new form of theater based on Asian tradition, it seemed a distant goal. But Kim's dream has become a reality. Now he is busy breaking new ground in modern South Korean theater and bringing Asian culture to the world through his art.

Three years ago, Kim's artistic achievements helped him become the first non-Westerner to be elected chairman of the Paris-based International Theatre Institute.

He has directed more than 80 plays, ranging from the European theater of the absurd to original works. His dramatic interpretation, however, has always been based on Korean culture and his ethnic identity. He draws much of his inspiration from South Korea's long tradition of theatrical and musical performances as well as from shamanism.

Rather than rejecting these traditions as antiquated, Kim embraces them and incorporates many of their elements into his plays and costume design. Kim has taken the JAYU (freedom) theater group, which he founded in 1966, all over the world. Although at first there were doubts at home as to whether the performances would be understood or accepted abroad, they quickly won widespread acclaim.

Kim's performances are not remarkable for their unique technical approach alone. Much of the appeal of his plays comes from their themes. "Nameless Flowers Fall in the Wind" centers around an itinerant performing troupe. "What Does Man Become After Death?" deals with questions of life and death. Both plays have been staged in Japan. The plays embody his Oriental philosophy, reflected in such lines as, "Man doubles and continues to live after death." "There is continuity between life and death," Kim said.

The International Theatre Institute held its festival in Seoul last autumn, the first time the event was held in Asia. Kim, who was in charge of the entire program, helped make the event a big success and directed a multilingual version of King Lear. Actors from seven countries performed in their native languages. The part of King Lear, for instance, was played by a South Korean actor in Korean. Other parts were performed in Japanese, English and other languages. The actors were allowed to play their parts according to their own interpretations. Although multilingual plays are nothing new, Kim used the opportunity to more deeply explore its theatrical potential.

"Asians don't express their anger like Europeans," Kim said. "Gestures are a manifestation of accumulated history. It is natural that they differ from culture to culture. Acting should not mean copying Westerners."

By encouraging actors to play their parts according to their own ideas, Kim has fostered many top-flight performers. Kim says he wants to create a new theatrical culture through the fusion of the traditional and the modern, the East and the West.

Kim lives humbly in an old-style house in the suburbs of Seoul. The house has ondol, or traditional heated floors, and a garden clogged with old stone statues, wooden farming tools and dozens of large pots to make kimchi, spicy pickled vegetables.

"I have saved all of them," Kim said with a rueful laugh about his collection. He said South Koreans are losing interest in their cultural heritage.

"These things were made by people who never considered themselves artists. I draw great inspiration from their silent power. These are simple tools, but they display deep sensitivity, similar to that shared by modern art. To me, stone statues are actors," Kim said. "They are actors who show us performances many centuries old."

Kim is a man of many talents who also directs movies, gives university lectures and contributes to international cultural exchanges. He is now contemplating building a new outdoor theater, where he plans to exhibit his collection of stone art. "I want to make it a facility that presents Asian culture in complete harmony with its past and present," he said. "It will also be a place for various cultures to meet."