"I will do it, I want to, I can do it!"
On August 13, at the Gyeongnam Miryang Arirang Art Center, over 50 children from Sacheon, Jeonju, and Guri shouted enthusiastically on stage. Despite their different ages, personalities, and hometowns, they were all friends. It didn’t matter if they forgot their lines or spoke softly. The children cheered each other on with shouts of 'Hey! Hey!' The stage was a playground where everyone could spread their wings and play together.
The 'Dream Festival Miryang' is the first standalone joint camp in the theater sector organized by the Dream Troupe, a children and youth theater initiative of the Korea Arts and Culture Education Service. The event runs from August 12 to 14 at the Miryang Arirang Art Center and Hotel Arena, with actor Oh Man-seok serving as the overall director. The theme is 'Let’s Play (Theater)'.
The children did not follow a set script. There was no script until the day before the performance. They incorporated their thoughts, dreams, and concerns into the framework of the Miryang folktale 'The Legend of Mubongsa and the Taeguk Butterfly.' The children were both actors and co-creators. The stage they created through improvisation was filled with their imaginations.
What the children did on the day before the performance was not acting practice. They ran, chatted, and played noisily, engaging in physical activities. There were no smartphones in their hands. Instead, they looked into each other's eyes, listened to each other, and held hands. Children who initially kept their distance due to unfamiliarity soon became intertwined.
In the program 'Playing Monsters Together,' led by Director Oh, the children transformed into imaginary monsters. They twisted their bodies, chased each other with strange movements, and growled. As Oh encouraged them with phrases like, "Okay, be free!" and "Feeling shy? That’s okay," the timid children quickly morphed into monsters. The monster children held each other's hands tightly and laughed.
Director Oh, who enjoys living each day joyfully, also played among the children throughout the two days. He remarked, "Seeing the children having fun makes me feel that I made the right choice in taking on the role of overall director. The essence of theater is in the children meeting, experiencing, and expressing their imaginations through play."
What matters is not the quality of the final product. Oh emphasized, "It’s important for children to have various experiences through different kinds of play during the creative process."
He intentionally mixed the groups, not pairing children by region or age. The children were encouraged to listen to the stories of unfamiliar friends and share their own. One child wrote in a sketchbook, "I always have many things I want to do. My desires keep changing. Each time, I think, 'You can do it, you will do well.'"
Oh expressed his hope that children would become friends who can listen to others and share their own stories freely, saying, "I wish for the children to grow wings and fly freely anywhere in the world."
The children gathered in Miryang with the mindset of wanting to play as much as possible. Kim Kyung-min, the director of the Dream Troupe Jeonju, shared, "Before coming to the camp, I told the children, 'Let’s go to Miryang and have fun with friends,' and they all exclaimed, 'Oh yeah!'"
Kim described theater as "an art that is not done alone but in collaboration." The Jeonju workshop also focused on learning 'how to move together.' The children held hands and moved their shoulders, heads, and arms to keep a balloon in the air. To prevent the balloon from falling, they had to work together, observing each other's movements and matching their speeds.
Kim does not distinguish between 'play' and 'life.'
"These days, children often hide their true feelings, worrying about what others think of them. I hope that even in this moment, through theater and play, they can express their thoughts. In doing so, they can heal, empathize, and relieve stress. Theater is a wonderful art for living life."
On the third day, August 14, there will be a time to reflect on the creative process and activities experienced during the camp. Participants will share their experiences of interaction and collaboration as they conclude the schedule.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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