Annyeonghaseyo!
(Hello!)
We are students at Birmingham School of Acting, otherwise known as the ‘cavalry’, Kerry-Ann and Hannah, mentioned in an earlier blog post. Friday saw our arrival in South Korea as we joined Peter as part of the British team, now making us the bloggers and social media geeks on behalf of Hanyong Theatre Company. We could not wait to get into Seoul and meet the cast and crew of Orange Polar Bear and catch up with some of the cast from the bilingual presentation performed at the On The Edge Festival July 3rd in Birmingham.
On Saturday following the very helpful and clear guide of Peter, we made our way to Daehangno where the cast had been rehearsing last week and after a short journey we were standing at the doors of the NTCK (National Theatre Company of Korea) studio in Daehangno. It was amazing to see that we had walked in at the right time, as some of the scenes being rehearsed were the ones we had presented at the On The Edge Festival in July.
It was interesting to spot the similarities and differences in the cast and how they presented their characters in comparison to the bilingual actors in July. Seeing the Korean actors, performing the British side of the play was intriguing and as first impressions go, they did well. I guess teenagers will be teenagers where ever you go in the world…it’s just the cultural differences we have to get right. But additionally, the actors have the task of portraying migrants in Britain, adding a greater depth to the characters and process.
Fast forward to today, and we are back by Seoul Station. August 15th marks the Republic of Korea’s Independence Day and although no one really works on this holiday, the talented and committed cast and crew of Orange Polar Bear have been hard at work. It has been fascinating to see how easy it is to understand and recognise the scenes being rehearsed, without a script in front of us, which of course is promising for the bilingual version of the play. The lessons learned and experiences gained from doing an all Korean version is undoubtedly indispensable in being able to push the boundaries of the bilingual version.
It will be amazing to see co-director, Shin Dong’s stage design coupled with Peter’s (who’s the other co-director if you didn’t already know) British influence, alongside the impressive cast, which will take to the stage in September. Orange Polar Bear surely will be a remarkable play not to be missed and we look forward to taking you along the journey!