Passion of Ten Thousand Miles

20th anniversary production

The footsteps of players lost in turbulent times

Passion of Ten Thousand Miles is a period drama about the turbulent, passionate lives of artists from the history of Korean theatre. In his director’s note, Kim Myung-gon wrote: “Even in the age of myth there were clowns… It began from the idea that it would be fun for theatre people to make a play about theatre people… As we worked, the fierce spirit of those who came before us took shape.”

Shedding new light on Korean theatre artists who lived through upheaval from the 1920s to after the Korean War, it presents plays known only from history books — Janghanmong, Arirang Pass, Deceived by Love, Weeping for Money — as plays-within-the-play, capturing the anguish, glory and disgrace of the artists of the time.

At its 1991 premiere it ignited debate over perspectives on theatre history. In 1928, Lee Wol-seon and Hong Jong-min meet and fall in love in a touring sinpa troupe, while Shim Young-bok, Jin Gyeong-suk, Song Jin-seop and Park Cheol join forces for a new theatre. They face an irresistible artistic calling and the reality of their nation. Wol-seon, drawn into Western modern theatre through Tokyo-educated No Seung-cheol, clashes with Jong-min, and her hidden past brings a new turn.

Through the colonial period the comrades leave their mark in KAPF proletarian theatre, pro-Japanese theatre, changgeuk and sinpa. Amid the conflicts of history, Jong-min confesses his wish “to make great art that smells of Joseon.” But sudden liberation and the war that follows drive their lives into still greater turmoil. By showing how colonial rule and division shaped artists’ lives, the play affirms that the lives and art of these forgotten players remain a great root of Korean theatre today.