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| Jung Woon-sun, left, plays Margaret and Baek Eun-hye plays Marianne, the two nurses who volunteered at the leper community of Sorok Island for over four decades, in a scene from the musical "An Island: 1933-2019." Courtesy of Pro's Lab |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Austrian nurses Marianne Stoeger and Margaret Pissar are known for their four decades of work on Sorok Island, looking after Hansen's disease patients with all their hearts. The nurses' 40 years there is revived on stage through "An Island: 1933-2019," a new musical created by the Voice Project, at Wooran Art Scape 2, located in the Wooran Foundation headquarters in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.
The Voice Project is a collaboration among three creators ― director Park So-young, composer Lee Sun-young and playwright Jang Woo-seong.
The trio was formed in 2017 with the purpose of restoring the voices of people who could serve as good role models. Their inaugural project was the musical "Taeil," which was based on the life of the labor activist Jeon Tae-il who died of self-immolation, based on his actual words from memoirs and diaries and staged in 2017 and 2018.
The three creators have known each other since before this project and it began from a simple desire to make something from their heart.
"Composer Lee and I were at Gwanghwamun Plaza when the candlelit vigils were going on in late 2016. When we heard people singing Yang Hee-eun's Morning Dew and Evergreen Tree, Lee was moved by the power of simple melodies sung in unison and wanted to write songs like that," director Park explained on the project's inception to The Korea Times. "We wanted to make a stage show, not commissioned by a producer or company, but began from our hearts. It was not officially named the Voice Project back then."
As the idea materialized, writer Jang joined the team.
"Taeil" sheds light on the labor activist who died to raise awareness about the poor labor conditions of garment workers in the 1960s, but not in a conventional way.
"As we researched, we realized that Jeon was more than a martyr. He left a lot of notes and diaries, so we borrowed his voice and wrote melody to his words," composer Lee said.
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| From left, composer Lee Sun-young, director Park So-young and writer Jang Woo-seong of the Voice Project pose for a photo during an interview with The Korea Times at Wooran Foundation headquarters in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Lee Soo-jin |
Writer Jang said most movies or dramas based on Jeon's life focus on his labor activism. "There were many adaptations of Jeon's dramatic life and achievements, but we wanted the musical to show a lesser-known side of him. Instead of enumerating events chronologically, we wanted to share how we approached and got to know Jeon with the audiences," Jang said. "He once was a young, bright boy with a warm heart, but such parts are little known. So we wanted to throw light on his human side."
It was difficult to secure a budget for this spontaneous project and the premiere of "Taeil" was made possible through the staff members' own expenses and unpaid actors who agreed with the significance of the project.
The project met a turning point when the Wooran Foundation approached them after watching "Taeil. The foundation, established in 2014, aims to carry on the legacy of Park Gye-hee, the founder of Walkerhill Art Museum whose pseudonym is Wooran, and supports talented artists and thespians and cultivate a healthy environment for creators.
"The foundation said they want to support the Voice Project in the long term, not just giving a chance to stage Taeil. We agonized over the offer, but in the end we joined hands and it prolonged the life of what might have been a one-off project," Park said.
"We worried that we might lose the original resolution, but the Wooran Foundation was not a commercial production company and their vision suited well with the Voice Project," Lee added.
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| Margaret, left, and Marianne, right, at Sorok Island / Korea Times file |
Marianne and Margaret
With high anticipation on who would be the next "voice" of the project, the three chose Marianne and Margaret, instead of better-known people with stupendous achievements.
The Austrian nurses came to the obscure Sorok Island, which had been used as a leper colony, in 1962 and spent a hefty amount of their lives taking care of the patients. They left the island, only leaving a handwritten letter, in 2005, as they got older and worried of being a burden to the islanders.
Their heart-moving story was made into a documentary film in 2017 and several books. The Marianne and Margaret Association has been gathering signatures to recommend the two nurses as candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize since 2017 and the cumulative total is nearing 950,000 as of Sunday.
Director Park said the three thought of making the new play centered on a woman and researched forgotten and lesser-known female figures.
"There were many candidates, but it was not easy to find the right one worth our project, with enough documents to dig up," Park said. "Marianne and Margaret were two of the candidates we had in mind. Around the time we saw a clip of the film Marianne and Margaret, multiple people recommended them, as if it was meant to be. So we started discussing how to expand their story to resonate with today."
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| Baek Eun-hye, center, plays Go Ji-seon of 2019 in "An Island: 1933-2019." Courtesy of Pro's Lab |
A notable difference from their previous piece is that "Island" tells the story of three different times ― in 1933, 1966 and 2019. In 1933, the story centers on Baek Su-seon, a leper who lives on Sorok Island, and in 2019 it is about Go Ji-seon, a mother of a 10-year-old with a developmental disorder. Their names come from the Korean names of the two nurses ― Baek for Margaret and Go for Marianne ― but the characters are fictional.
Marianne and Margaret were people who acted, not spoke. It was playwright Jang who suggested a breakthrough to tell the story of the two women who did the same thing for over 40 years.
"They have lived the life of good deed for 43 years. They handed out warm milk every morning and served the patients, witnessing many deaths. It was difficult to dramatize such repetitive daily life," Jang said. "While researching for similar issues, I took inspiration from the conflicts over the establishment of a special needs school in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, and saw not much difference in those who discriminated against the disabled from those who discriminated against lepers in the early 20th century."
The tale of Baek Su-seon describes the early days of the leper community on Sorok Island, while Go's story looks back on how we treat the disabled nowadays.
The modern-day character Go is modeled after writer and columnist Ryu Seung-yeon, mother of a disabled child.
"We read her book and she visited our rehearsal room for a talk as well. The subway scene was based on Ryu's real experience," writer Jang said. "I think borrowing her voice suited our Voice Project and Ryu provided details you cannot know until you experience it."
As the three different periods crisscross in the musical, director Park focused on putting distinct tones in each era, differentiating acting style.
Lee also wrote music in different styles to better represent the characters.
"In 1966, which centers on Marianne and Margaret, the music is written in holy hymn style as if sung at a church, reflecting their deep religious piety. Songs for the 1933 period are a more folksy style, portraying the grief and lament of the lepers. In 2019, music was used to add more reality," Lee explained.
The show also features a 10-member chorus who play multiple roles.
"Jeon was a person who shouted out his thoughts, but Marianne and Margaret were the complete opposite. They didn't brag about what they did and avoided media attention, saying they've done what they should. So it was difficult to make lyrics from their words. Many known facts about them came from comments from people who knew Marianne and Margaret. So we have the chorus in Island, unlike two-hander Taeil. The chorus conveys the voice of people around the two women and progresses the plot," Lee said.
The trio's first and second works enjoyed sold-out runs, but they don't have any plans for a third one yet.
"We have various ideas going on, but nothing is set. But we all agreed that we should try something new, just like Taeil and Island are very different in style," Park said.
Writer Jang added that they have successfully expanded the platform from being a series of biographical musicals.
"We are flexible. Taeil was the voice of a person, while Island is more of the voice of the time. The third one can be anything, not bound by subject matter or format," he said.
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| Jung Woon-sun, left, as Baek Su-seon of 1933 in "An Island: 1933-2019" / Courtesy of Pro's Lab |
