Veteran performers unite to mentor children and adolescents in Theater of Dream program

Esteemed actors Jeon Mi-do and Lee Soon-jae and more became ambassadors for the government's Theater of Dream program, which will provide musical and theater education to the youth.

Culture minister Yu In-chon, left, poses with actor Jeon Mi-do at the appointment ceremony for ambassador for the Theater of Dream program in Sowol Art Hall in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul on July 16.[MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

Esteemed actors Jeon Mi-do and Lee Soon-jae and more became ambassadors for the government's Theater of Dream program, which will provide musical and theater education to the youth.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon appointed nine ambassadors, including actors Lee and Jeon, theater director Koh Sun-woong, actor duo Kim Su-in and Kim Jun-su, musical actor Choi Jung-won and theater troupes Yohangza, Joyful Theater and Imagination Group Ddungddanji (translated), for its upcoming theater education program at the Sowol Art Hall in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, on Tuesday afternoon.

The promotional ambassadors for the program will conduct a variety of activities for children and adolescents nationwide. These activities will include expert classes, stage art workshops and collaborative creation projects. The organization plans to share these activities through the Korea Creative Content Agency’s (Kocca) YouTube channel and social media.

Tentatively titled Theater of Dream, the program is a part of the Art of Dream (translated) program by the government, which was modeled after Venezuela’s El Sistema public music education program, according to the Culture Ministry. El Sistema is a free music education program for low-income youth.

The Theater of Dream program will pilot and develop various education methods this year, and officially start operations in 2025. No specific dates were disclosed as of Tuesday afternoon.

The Dance Company of Dream, which is another part of the Art of Dream program, started in 2022 and is currently held in 29 centers.

Yu visited the active members of the Dance Company of Dream program, following the ambassador appointment ceremony, to offer encouragement. He also held a meeting with officials from the Art of Dream program, where he listened to various opinions and suggestions from local cultural and arts education activists and discussed future policy directions.

"We will continue to expand the Art of Dream program so that more children can receive high-quality arts education," said Yu on Tuesday. "In early August right after the Music in PyeongChang festival, we will hold an Art of Dream joint camp where artists from across the country can interact, receive education from world-renowned artists and perform together.”

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]