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| 'Fiddler on the Roof' from Russia will be staged at the 13th Daegu International Musical Festival on July 5-7. Courtesy of DIMF |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
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| Bae Sung-hyuk, executive committee chairman of Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF), speaks during a press conference announcing the 13th edition of the event, which will be held from June 21 to July 8 in the southern city, at the Press Center in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of DIMF |
Bae Sung-hyuk, DIMF executive committee chairman, said it is DIMF's role to introduce new styles of musicals to Korea.
"Previously, we focused on bringing in musicals from countries like Kazakhstan and Slovakia that the Korean public is relatively unfamiliar with. This year, our headliners are from the U.K. and Russia, but a Spanish musical is something new to Korea," Bae explained at a press conference at Seoul's Press Center, Tuesday.
"From Asia, the majority of our invited shows are from China, but we try to diversify. We have Amelia from Thailand's Mahidol University in the College Musical Festival program."
This year, 23 productions from eight countries will be staged in Daegu from June 21 to July 8.
A British production of "The Wedding Singer," based on the 1998 film of the same name, will open this year's DIMF. Packed with retro-style disco music, Sam Ferriday will play wedding singer Robbie Hart and Cassie Compton, waitress Julia. Giovanni Spano from the 2018 reality show "The X Factor" will play Robbie's mischievous friend Glen.
"In Korea, serious and dark shows are usually box office hits. I wanted to stage a fun, bright family show to open the 13th festival," Bae said.
"Fiddler on the Roof," a 1964 Broadway musical featuring a traditional Jewish wedding day, will be presented by the Altai Musical Theatre from Russia from July 5-7.
Spanish hip-hop musical "La Calderona," staged from June 26 to 30, revolves around Maria Calderon, a 17th century Spanish actress and mistress of Philip IV. "Montand the French Lover" is a French show telling the tale of French singer and actor Yves Montand from the perspective of his sister from June 26 to 30.
Chinese musicals are staples at DIMF as the festival makes exchanges with Chinese counterparts actively. "The Twilight of Springtime" is made by the Shanghai Concert Hall Management and "In the Mood for Sorrow" by Salute Culture and Creative.
"When I visit China, I get asked to attend a lot of musical theater productions there as many Chinese creators dream of being invited to DIMF," Bae said. "I also try to liaise between Chinese productions with Korean creative staffers. We once received help from creators from Broadway and West End, so now it is our turn to pass down our know-how."
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| 'Wedding Singer' from the United Kingdom will be staged at the 13th Daegu International Musical Festival on June 21-30. Courtesy of DIMF |
Bae said he hopes to bring more shows from other parts of the globe that are not well-known in Korea.
"I am fascinated by African rhythms and Bollywood style Indian musicals, but it is difficult to find the right one to invite within our budget," he said.
DIMF's proud own production of musical "Turandot," based on the Puccini opera of the same name, will be staged from June 29 to July 7. Developed continuously after its premiere in 2011, the musical was sold to six Eastern European countries, including Slovakia, which will open their own version of the musical at Divadlo Nova scena Bratislava, Slovakia, later this year.
For detailed information, visit www.dimf.or.kr.
