NToK to premiere heartwarming barrier-free play 'Our Town'

“Our Town” (National Theater of Korea)

The National Theater of Korea is set to premiere its production of the heartwarming play “Our Town” at the Daloreum Theater from June 22-25.

The Korean adaption of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by American playwright Thornton Wilder explores the beauty and significance of everyday life, weaving a narrative around a family with a disabled member.

Im Do-wan, who directed the National Theater Company of Korea’s production of “Scarpin,” took the helm of the adaptation, direction and music of the production, which will be staged as a barrier-free performance with Korean subtitles, audio commentary and sign language interpretation.

Im changed the characters and the setting to portray the daily life -- with its joys and sorrows -- of people with disabilities and their family members.

Set in the 1980s in Pyeonghae-eup, Uljin-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, the play revolves around Hyun-young, a young woman with a hearing impairment. Actor Park Ji-young, the first deaf actor to be nominated for the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards for best actress in the play, “Into the Unknown,” will play Hyun-young.

Two deaf actors, including Park, and 14 non-disabled actors will participate, while five sign language interpreters and one audio commentator will accompany the actors on stage.

By Hwang Dong-hee(hwangdh@heraldcorp.com)