WEBZINE ACC

The water embodying the Dinh River in the center of the large stage of the ACC Theater splashes about. The natural scenery of the Vietnamese river unfolded behind that water like a dreamy landscape painting. The actors moved back and forth, splashing the water. They sang, loved, grieved, parted ways, envied, betrayed, and made new promises before the water, acting out the 30-year history of the post-war period. Piano, violin, cello, and gayageum were playing live on one side of the stage. The overlapping sounds of the Vietnamese language were unfamiliar but beautiful, like a harmony. A Korean traditional Jeong Ga singer who appeared on the stage in the middle of the performance enriched the tragic emotions and narrative of the Vietnamese protagonists.

The theater production Wharf of Widows was selected as the International Collaborative Performance Project of the ACC in 2022, the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Vietnam. This is a work jointly created and produced by the Vietnam National Drama Theatre (VNDT) and the Korea Association of Performing Arts Producers, which became the main performance after the pilot performance last year. Wharf of Widows is a play based on the nationally beloved fictional literature from Vietnam by Duong Huong that tells of the tragedy and pain in the post-war era through the stories of women around the Dinh River. Does human life have universality over national boundaries? It evoked my emotions as I sympathized with the conflicts and choices of the main character Seohee as I watched the TV drama <Toji>, originally written by Park Kyong-ni, when I was young.

The tragedy of the Vietnam War and a series of misfortunes born from the feudal social customs centered around sons and families became the pain in women’s lives. The hour and a half of performance time that compressed 30 years of the life of a young woman, “Hanh Ying,” who crosses the Dinh River to seek a new destiny out of deep pain, flew by. Will the flowing river swallow human emotions and bloom a lotus flower? The last scene with lotus flowers lighting over the river plaintively and beautifully lingers in memory.

Through the interview with Executive Producer Um Dong-youl of Wharf of Widows, we asked about the vivid stories of making this ACC International Collaborative Performance Project.

• How did you get to work on this joint original production work with Vietnam?

  As I became interested in international exchange and global distribution of performance art, I had a vision to distribute creative performances of Korea and Asia within one market and that Korea become the hub country of this One Asia Market¹⁾. I was studying Vietnam for the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Vietnam in 2022 and found that Vietnam has a similar history to Korea, such as war, division, and invasion by a powerful country.
  
  Vietnam had the highest UN County Similarity Index with Korea, and Vietnam has the second largest scale of economic exchange after China. On the other hand, in terms of cultural exchange, there were only simple cultural introductions through traditional performances and hallyu (*Korean wave) events. I thought it would be great to work on something that could put the values of both countries in one voice, so I made a proposal to the Vietnam National Drama Theatre.

• What are the most important values and challenges in this work as a producer?

  I believe Asian culture will take the lead with important values and philosophies that could replace Western thought, and I believed the joint production between Korea and Vietnam should embody our past, present, and future. As a producer, I thought this joint work must have a dialectical production development system that converges the cultures of both countries into one. To include such intentions and content, a good original work was a better choice than pure creation. Most of all, the most important attitude in exchange and collaboration with Vietnam is mutual respect. It was important to respect each other’s cultures and traditions and avoid judging based on my own knowledge and information.
  
  I selected and proposed six works from Korea and six works from Vietnam to select one through mutual discussions. The final selection is a fictional story that received the Vietnam Author’s Association Award, covering the historical flow of one nation and three generations. It is widely known literature that was made into a movie and drama in Vietnam. There was an attempt to make this into a play in Vietnam as it had national popularity, but it was difficult to compress 30 years of Vietnamese history into an hour and a half. And I wanted to challenge myself as a producer. We finally decided to produce work based on this original fiction, and it was selected in the ACC open call. We successfully showcased it last year and received good reviews, and ended up making the production this year.

• What are the most important values and challenges in this work as a producer?

  Mutual respect is the most fundamental thing. One of the key points for making this work was how to combine the cultures of both countries with the original work of Vietnam based on mutual respect. I wanted them to be united in their own way, very Korean and Vietnamese at the same time. I mean a cultural convergence of Vietnam and Korea.
  
  I tried to understand both cultures by hosting workshops, and traveling between Vietnam and Seoul and Gwangju in Korea over two years. The sense of consciousness was based on Vietnamese literature, but all designs and technical aspects including adaptation and songwriting were done in Korea. I realized what Vietnam can do well and what Korea can do well are different. Vietnam produces a lot of textiles and has great designs and products. So the props and costumes were prepared in Vietnam. We tried to find the most helpful and effective partners for collaboration by comparing and reviewing the areas of creation and production between Korea and Vietnam.
  
  As for instrument composition and musical elements, we mixed traditional Vietnamese instruments, Western instruments, and traditional Korean instruments to turn three to four sounds into one sound. For the cast, after a long consideration, we decided to deliver the feelings and sentiment of Vietnam through Vietnamese actors and language for efficiency.
  
  As the Vietnamese language has six intonations and a different word order than Korean, there is a melody-like feeling in the language. It is more like singing than reading lines. Meanwhile, I also discovered that Vietnam’s traditional music “Cheo” was similar to Korea’s “Jeong Ga.” While preserving the essence of Vietnam’s linguistic sounds, we introduced Jeong Ga to combine Korean elements and represent the sound symbolically on stage. I hoped that this production would serve as a bridge for cultural exchange between Vietnam and Korea. To gain respect for Korean culture, we must respect their culture. Confidence in cultural competency starts with acceptance. Each step of production contained deep contemplation and choices based on these values.

• The stage design that set the water in the center was quite impressive. How did you create it?

  Hanoi is known as the city of lakes and when you think about Vietnam, the country is associated with water. Implementing this in the stage design was a big challenge. The primary objective of the International Collaborative Performance Project was not just the premier but localization in Korea and Vietnam, as well as promoting the achievements of this collaborative project in other nations.
  
  While a beautiful aesthetic stage is important, creating and verifying it in a way that is intelligently distributable is a crucial virtue. So, the most important aspect of creating the stage setting for this project was a modular system. We applied the modular stage unit with “water” from the planning stage to produce and distribute it while preserving the stage’s aesthetics when performing in different regions or countries. I was able to learn this through the mistakes and failures from experience with three previous collaborative productions with various countries in Northern Europe.

• For contemporary Korean women, what meaning do the lives and stories of the women in this production tell?

  When you look closely, this story is about women from our mothers’ generation in our not-so-distant past. The present and the future that we envision are made possible because of our past. When we explore classic literature or the culture of other countries, it is important to look at how the situation is overcome rather than the situation itself. Regardless of the era we live in, no man is free from the perspectives and pressures of the time. It is crucial how we overcome our existence as human beings and the future that we design. This work deals with the story of a woman standing up as an independent individual.

• What was most challenging in production?

  As a producer, I believe the internal cohesion is of great importance when there are many external variables. So I organized the most reliable team. The key members of this joint collaborative production team were from the team I worked with for four years, including projects in Sweden and Denmark.
  
  Understanding the original work was most crucial, and the absence of a Korean version was the beginning of the pain. We had to translate the novel into English and then into Korean for creators before the actual work could begin. Once the basic script was prepared, details were modified with the directing team to draw out results. I’ve wanted to work with writer Han Areum for the past few years. It was an honor to work with great artists in every field. It would have been very difficult without their passion and support.
  
  Also, it was difficult to imagine turning this work into a 60-minute showcase at Vietnam’s production level. And in the case of many Vietnamese actors, there are many differences from the current state of activities of actors in Korea. In Vietnam, many actors are still well-known for their external activities such as theater and drama acting. The director decides on actors without an audition. So when they heard there would be an audition, they were surprised and shocked about being evaluated. There was a process of reducing and resolving misunderstandings arising from the differences in culture and production methods. The Vietnamese actors said they learned, understood, and developed a respect for the Korean production system through this process.
  
  The physical and chemical bonds formed within it came into effect and brought a unique color, flavor, and explosiveness to this work. The actors are well prepared. Their level is much higher and deeper than last year’s pilot performance. The same actors stayed with us until the end. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Vietnamese actors.

• What is your next plan?

  We are still discussing the production announcement and distribution in Vietnam. We hope to meet more audiences at home and abroad next year with this work. The task remains for how to localize and premiere it in Vietnam next year. I hope this production takes root and is loved in Vietnam, goes on a tour in Vietnam, and becomes a nationally beloved work. And I hope that the ACC and the profession of producer gains recognition as well. I want to showcase how international exchange and collaboration with Korea can create artistic value. It’s my ambition as a producer.