The cast of “Hallo Chunhyang: The Tale of Anna” pose together in Seoul, Jan. 20. / Courtesy of Jonathon Dickey
It's said that "The Tale of Chunhyang" (or "Chunhyangga" in Korean) is one of the most iconic love stories of Korea, a centuries-old folk tale that originated as a work of pansori. What would happen if a foreigner performed the starring role?
German-born actress Anna Rihlmann explores this scenario in “Hallo Chunhyang: The Tale of Anna,” about a fictional production of "The Tale of Chunhyang." She stars as herself, a foreign actress with a master's degree in acting from the Korea National University of Arts (K-ARTS), playing the iconic Korean role of Chunhyang.
The show examines the experiences of foreign artists seeking acceptance, work and fame in Korea, while facing barriers because of their language, nationality, appearance or other reasons, as they overcome their limitations, discover themselves and find their own identity.
Besides Anna, the play includes Anupam Tripathi, an Indian actor who played a role in the Netflix drama "Squid Game," but is usually cast to play the role of a foreign laborer, and Songa, a Chinese actress who can pass as Korean, but her distinctly Chinese accent puts her in an awkward position to play Korean roles.
“Korean actors act as Richard III in Shakespeare or Chekhov and Ibsen. Wouldn't it be fun for us to do a traditional Korean production?" Anna told The Korea Times. "The roles I can play in Korea are so limited. I want to change that. I want to do 'Chunhyangjeon!'"
The actor has a strong desire and affinity to find acceptance in Korea and wants to write and perform her version of the traditional Korean tale to show that she can play the same role as a Korean actress.
A poster for the play “Hallo Chunhyang: The Tale of Anna” / Courtesy of Anna Rihlmann
The play features the cast rehearsing for the play-within-a-play production of "The Tale of Chunhyang," interspersed with scenes reflecting the actors' lives, as well as flashbacks to their time studying the craft in Korean universities.
"So we're also struggling with the Korean words pronunciation, as we're struggling with the immigration office," she said.
"I was always told, 'OK, in Korea, you have to do it the Korean way.' And I always tried to become so Korean. I felt like being in Korea, I always wanted to be like one with all the others. I didn't want to be a foreigner. I have a Korean family; I live with a Korean host family. I was the only foreigner in my university acting master class. In my theater group, I was always the only foreigner. But I didn't want to be a foreigner anymore. I just wanted to be an accepted society member."
She wrote her thesis about foreign actors in Korea, in which she concluded that foreign actors should start from their own cultural backgrounds rather than from the Korean images they create.
“Multiculturalism and racial diversity are recognized as a trend and a part of social change in Korea, and we want to create a story based on it and express it in our play," she said. "I want to show, OK, Korea is now a multicultural society. But just because the numbers are changing, for us not much is changing. I think there is a need to improve a lot — that is why my theater play is very pushy. I want to tackle a lot of these issues."
She added that the play delivers a message encouraging the enforcement of the Act on the Guarantee of the Status and Rights of Artists and the Artist Welfare Act for all artists, regardless of nationality.
“Hallo Chunhyang: The Tale of Anna,” which is staged primarily in Korean, will run from Jan. 25 to 28 at Yeonwoo Theater in Seoul's Daehangno area, as part of the 3rd Do Dream Theater Festival. Tickets are available on Interpark. Follow @missannayoon on Instagram for more information.
Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He's also co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative, and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.