Chae Man-Sik, Author during a rough period in Korean history.

Raising a voice against the times.

During the tumultuous period of Japanese colonial rule in Korea and subsequent liberation at the end of World War II, author Chae Man Sik was unwaveringly committed to raising his voice through biting satire and realist literary techniques. In his acclaimed book Memorial Day (Chehyang-nal), Chae conveys through one family the voice of resistance against a reality of ups and downs over a period of fifty years. The complicated background of the work made it difficult to present on stage. But now in 2017, the long and tangled story is finally being unraveled in a vivid form of theater.

“In one family, a flicker of hope has been passed down to the third and fourth generations …”

A flicker of hope for a family living in a harsh world.

Once young, very well off and residing in an impressive house, now the old woman named Choi lives in a bleak and humble abode and is busy preparing the 42nd annual memorial ritual to honor her late husband. During the Donghak Peasant Revolution, he used up all the money in the family, walked into the place of his execution and died a righteous death without achieving his ends. Her son left for Shanghai during the March 1st Movement and hasn’t been in contact with her for 18 years. She thinks that she could still live a comfortable life, even for just a few days, if only her grandson would finish his studies. Against all her hopes however, he is obsessed with the socialist movement. Her tough life is the history of our nation and people, who have somehow managed to become flickers of hope for themselves. Those who came before us and once walked through such a long and dark tunnel of adversity now ask us, “Who will be the next flickers of hope?”

Author Chae Man-Sik

Chae Man-Sik was a progressive author and intellectual during the periods of Japanese colonial rule and liberation. He captured a new beauty in satire with several full-length novels and a number of plays and scenarios. In particular, he wrote about a dark period in Korean history that culminated in the latter part of the 1940s using realist literary techniques. Today, Chae Man-Sik is recognized for having created a body of literary works that goes beyond the worlds of tragic realism and savagely satirical realism and is considered one of the most talented and renowned Korean writers of modern literature.

Director Choi Yong-Hun

  Director Choi Yong-Hun is a professor at the Department of Musical Theater at Chungwoon University and CEO of Zak Eun Shin Wha Theater Company. He has led the theater company for the last 30 years and is fondly referred to in Korea as the father of new writing. Choi remains steadfastly dedicated to exploring new ways to create and develop new plays and maintains an unparalleled love and passion for theater.