91-Year-Old Theatre Master Stages First Singing Concert: "I'll Direct My Finale Myself"
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Kim Woo-ok (91), founding head of the Korea National University of Arts (한예종) theatre department and a seminal figure in experimental and youth theatre, held his first solo concert in Seoul after 1.5 years of vocal practice. Inviting about 100 colleagues, students and friends from the theatre world, the veteran director performed ten songs — including Korean settings of poems and Italian art songs — and closed with Frank Sinatra’s "My Way." On stage he mixed humor, memories and reflections on his long career; a filmed montage showed photos from his youth to the present. Known for shaping Korea’s experimental theatre movement and youth drama, Kim announced plans to donate his apartment to Seoul Institute of the Arts and Korea National University of Arts and to support young creators through the Korean branch of ASSITEJ (아시테지). He emphasized staying active — walking briskly each morning — and said he wants to "direct" even his own death, asking the audience to be witnesses. The intimate, theatrical concert was celebrated as one of his finest productions.
