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YOULL(律), the New Traditional Performance Brand Based on the 20 Years’ Experience of Jeongdong Theater
A Sophisticated, Stylish Traditional Creative Performance Opens with
the New Brand

Jeongdong Theater’s Traditional Performance Brand MISO changed to YOULL

Production Style Changes from Dramatizing Korean Traditional Novels to Creating an Original Performance
“Emotions From Korea”: Delivering Korean Sentiments to the Audience

In April 2016, Jeongdong Theater will launch a new brand YOULL for its permanent traditional performance. Under the theme “Emotion From Korea,” new brand YOULL set a strategy of delivering Korean sentiments to its audience. YOULL is a comprehensive Korean traditional performance displaying all features of Korean traditional art, such as dance, martial arts, swordsmanship, music, plays, and vocal music. Unlike other traditional performances shown in this theater and produced by dramatizing Korean traditional novels, YOULL is an original performance whose characters and story are all “created” by Jeongdong Theater. In 2016, with the launch of new brand YOULL, Jeongdong Theater will present the evolution of the most Korean yet most modern performance.

Jeongdong Theater has continued holding traditional performances for the last 20 years, and new brand YOULL is a result of the combination between fresh changes and the theater’s integrated experiences and know-how. YOULL presents various Korean images in the world, including dynamic attractions, vigorous energy, and trend-leading styles; it will lead “K-Tradition” as a modern Korean traditional performance for everyone.

■ Features of the Performance
#1. Genre: Heroic Fantasy
Harmony of Game-style Story and Dynamic Korean Traditional Expressions
What if heroic fantasy meets Korean traditional performance?
A fusion fantasy historical drama, like Gu Family Book and Scholar Who Walks the Night
A story of a hero’s growth with adventures and wars

YOULL has a narrative of heroic fantasy, a modern genre that is gaining immense popularity through games, movies, and animations. Due to its simple and easy story structure, YOULL is enjoyable enough for anyone regardless of age and gender. The main plot of YOULL centers on Gaon, who was born in the world of light and who defeated a devil to save the world. Through the dynamic story, Gaon grows from boy to hero, undergoing wars, adventures, struggles, and challenges.

The makeup and costumes of this performance were inspired by Korean traditional lines and colors in order to display the hue of original Korean styles. Gaon’s superhuman powers, such as art of transformation, doppelgangers, and shortening distances, are displayed in magical scenes. A variety of Korean traditional arts  including dance, taekwondo, art of using sticks and swords as weapon, and martial arts  deliver Korea’s unique dynamic energies. In particular, this performance includes sorikkun, a Korean traditional storyteller, to show the attractive features of Pansori (epic chant) , a Korean genre of musical storytelling inscribed on the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Lastly, the performance’s modernity is highlighted by various modern technologies such as projection mapping and media art. Jeongdong Theater’s traditional performance YOULL will offer you a remarkable show of modern yet traditional Korean art.

- Gaon’s superhuman powers, such as art of transformation, doppelgangers, and shortening distances displayed in magical scenes
- Makeup and costumes created by adding imaginary elements to Korean traditional lines and colors in order to display Korean original styles
- Korea’s dynamic energy as shown with Korean traditional dance, taekwondo, art of using sticks and swords as weapon, martial arts, and plays
- Korean traditional storyteller, sorikkun, and enhanced musical characteristics
- A performance with the attractive features of Pansori, UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
- A refined performance assisted by modern technologies such as projection mapping and media art

#2. Traditional Element: Pansori
YOULL, a Hero’s Life as Told by a Storyteller

Storyteller Seol(說) tells the story of Gaon to the audience. With the presence of Seol, a storyteller, this performance features a unique characteristic of Pansori performance. Seol’s story is about the journey of Gaon from a young age until he becomes a hero.
The music pieces in this performance were influenced by Jeokbyeokga (Song of Red Cliffs) and Chunhyangga (Song of Chunhyang), the two most popular songs of the five remaining Pansori pieces – Heungboga (Song of Heungbo), Jeokbyeokga, Chunhyangga, Simcheongga (Song of Sim Cheong), and Sugungga (Song of the Underwater Palace). The two songs composed based on Jeokgyeokga and Chunhyangga are played in the important scenes of Gaon’s love story and wars, respectively, contributing to the enrichment of the performance’s story and musical virtues. Gaon’s story as told by storyteller Seol provides the audience with an opportunity to experience an original performing element of Pansori, an ordinary narrative method of Korean traditional stories.

#3. Characters

Korean Sentiments Expressed with Korean Traditional Characters
Korean traditional characters reborn from long-forgotten folktales and myths
Pure Korean names for realizing Korean unique characters

From its production stage, YOULL has focused on the establishment of “Korean unique characters” and delivery of “Korean sentiments” to its audience. The main character, Gaon, is the first Korean superhero created for a musical performance. Besides Gaon, other characters were restored from many long-forgotten Korean traditional folktales and myths in order to infuse Korean sentiments into the characters. Especially, the characters were named with pure Korean words. The name Gaon means “center of the world”; Choa, the name of the woman who falls in love with Gaon, stands for “a person lighting up the world like a candle.” Raon is the older brother of Gaon, and his name means “joyful” and “pleasant.” On the other hand, Mongni, the name of the devil’s magician, is a Korean word referring to “wicked and vicious nature.” These names were designed to introduce the unique, special sentiments of Korean culture to the audience.

[YOULL(律)] Synopsis

Gaon, the Center of the World, Comes to Open the Beginning of the World!

The Light Rages, and the Wind Dances!
The Drama Begins with Gaon, the One and Only Hero!
Once upon a time, King Baengmireu and his daughter Choa lived a peaceful life, enjoying the people’s respect, in the heavenly paradise of Mirinae. When a huge festival opened in Mirinae, the devil from the underground world attacked King Baengmireu in an attempt to dominate the whole world with his dark power. After King Baengmireu’s death, the world was covered in darkness. The day when black rain fell, Gaon, a boy from Mirinae, lost his brother Raon and vowed to take his revenge for his country and his family. On the other hand, Mongni, the half-human, half-god magician of the devil, foretold that Gaon would be a threat to the dark side and hatched a wicked plot…