Go to contents

2016 Daegu International Musical Festival to present 21 musicals

2016 Daegu International Musical Festival to present 21 musicals

Posted May. 17, 2016 07:59,   

Updated May. 17, 2016 08:02

한국어
The Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF), which is acclaimed as the cradle of creative musicals, marks the 10th anniversary this year. It is a rare case wherein a city in a provincial region has successfully continued a musical festival for 10 years.

People can watch high-profile musicals from Korea and overseas at seven performing arts centers in Daegu from June 24 to July 11. The festival will present a total of 21 musicals including five official invitational works, five works that have received support for creative production, four special musicals, and seven university student musicals.

“When the festival was launched in 2006, even people in Daegu had negative views, with some doubting whether it would be possible at all to develop a festival with musicals," Bae Seong-hyeok, chairman of the DIMF organizing committee, said at a press meeting at the Korea Press Center on Monday. “Reflecting the past 10 years, we feel very proud that the quality of creative musicals from Daegu has improved due to DIMF, and public interest in musicals have increased in the broader Daegu community.”

Musicals that are worth paying attention at this year’s event are the opening work "Legally Blonde," and "Madame de Pompadour." "Legally Blonde," which is better known for the movie of the same title, received the best new musical award at the U.K.’s "Lawrence Olivier Awards" in 2011. In the upcoming performance in Daegu, Lucy Jones, actress hailing from "The X Factor," a British audition program, plays the main character. The musical addresses in a comical fashion the story of a blonde beauty ‘El,’ who joins Harvard University in the U.S. to follow her boyfriend who dumped her.

‘Madame de Pompadour" is a new musical from Slovakia. Actress Sisa Skolovska, who acquired the best actress award in the DIMF Award with the musical "Mata Hari" in 2014, plays the main character Pompadour, who was highly cherished by King Louis XVI of France in the 18th Century. Additionally, the festival will feature "Gambrinus" from the Nikiski Theater in Moscow, Russia, "Haesang, Eum," a musical produced by graduates of the Shanghai Music Academy, and "The Doomsday 30" and "Turandot" from Korea.

The creative production support program selected "Joseon Yeonaesulsa," a musical that deals with the unique subject of survival audition for picking the queen from the Joseon Dynasty; "the Day of Soybean Paste-Making," which addresses an episode from a head family house with 100-year tradition; and "Story of Udangtangtang Love Affairs," a story of a couple in seven-year dating relationship.



김정은기자 kimje@donga.com