A promotional poster for the Busan International Performing Arts Festival / Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City
The 23rd Busan International Performing Arts Festival (BIPAF) will run from May 9-17 across nine venues in Busan, the festival's organizing committee said Monday. The nine-day event will include 52 productions from 13 countries at performance spaces including the Busan Cinema Center and Busan Citizens Hall.
This year's festival runs under the theme "Difference & Repetition," which the organizers say reflects a commitment to exploring diversity through the convergence of different cultural and artistic languages.
The opening production, "AlphaGo_Lee. Theory of Sacrifice," marks the Asian premiere of Poland’s STUDIO theatergallery's reimagining of the landmark 2016 go match between the AI program AlphaGo and Lee Se-dol by blending physical theater with digital imagery to probe the nature of human judgment in an algorithmic age. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 9 at the Busan Cinema Center’s Sky Theater.
The closing production is "MERRY-GO-ROUND," directed by Hungarian director Attila Vidnyanszky and co-produced by the National Theatre of Budapest and the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble and its orchestra — also an Asian premiere. The lyrical stage work interweaves prose, music and dance in a story revolving around love, marriage and social order.
Additional invited productions include "Tom at the Farm" from Brazil's Quadrovivo and "Richard 3. The Man" from Romania's Tony Bulandra Theatre. The festival also features a program of supporting initiatives including K-Stage, which supports Korean performing arts companies seeking global exposure; BIPAF Rookies, a showcase for emerging artists; and NextGen LAB, which includes a master class workshop led by Japanese theater director Miyagi Satoshi of the Shizuoka Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are available through Yes24, NOL Ticket, the Busan Cinema Center website and the festival's official website at www.bipaf.org.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
