Director: Lee Se-na

Playwright: Kang Yi-cheon

Institution: Department of Theatre, Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea

Venue: Proscenium Stage Theatre, CAD Changping Campus

Time: 15:30, May 21, 2024

Event: The 7th Asian Theatre Schools Festival

Director's Note

DREAM, ECHOES encapsulates timeless values in life, such as sound, dreams, and love, maintaining their importance across ages. The intertwined modern drama and historical narrative suggest these enduring values will persist through time. The work conveys the artist's efforts and passion to preserve these values. Artists tirelessly work to harness the energy they seek, which can inspire and bring hope to future generations as a cosmic entity. Baeksu's story conveys this universal truth, symbolized by rivers and sound. Flowing rivers and propagating sounds serve as conduits connecting dreams across different realms.

DREAM, ECHOES allows us to sensually comprehend that the values we cherish can endure eternally, beautifully capturing the journey of art and human endeavor in finding universal significance.

Synopsis

In the ancient past, a couple enters a river in succession, taking their own lives. Another couple from the same village, Gwakrija and Yeook, commemorate them. As time shifts to the present, Gowun, the leader of the idol group Echos, questions their happiness and acts out during a performance. Tired of the idol life's repetitiveness, Gowun's unilateral actions receive varied responses from the members. Gowun grieves for Doa, who is no longer there, and feels frustrated by the inability to pursue pure art. Parallel to Gowun's story, Baeksu wanders in search of the ultimate song, facing inner turmoil. Drawn to alcohol and endlessly singing, Baeksu experiences a profound emptiness. Following his father, a former royal musician killed by the king, Baeksu is also slated for the royal music department. Determined not to repeat his father's fate, Baeksu contemplates suicide. Meanwhile, Gowun faces mental stress from inquiries by a prosecutor and Muyeong about the elusive Doa. Deciding on death, Gowun converses with Doa's apparition, reminiscing about happy days together and finding the strength to live on.