The Return of Seo Chung-sik’s Quintessential TYA(Theatre for Young Audiences)

Seo Chung-sik’s previous directorial works Ballads for Roxanne and The Wrestling Season were both sold-out successes that became part of the NTCK’s TYA(Theatre for Young Audiences) repertoire. This year, Seo returns with yet another unique TYA production. Genius Toe Sprinter presents a witty take on struggles and conflicts faced by boys in their early teens—with its mysterious setting and ingenious black humor. An exhilarating combination of rap, dance and playfulness unfolds on stage. For our young audiences who, unfortunately, cannot visit the theater in person, the performance is scheduled to be livestreamed three times.

What are you looking at?

Have you not seen a 12-year-old before?

They each have a secret. One boy suffers from a sense of inferiority triggered by his classmate who is a better runner. One boy’s family falls into difficult financial circumstances. One boy has had to bluff his way into friendship. The 12-year-old boys of the running club are wary of the world, fearful that someone may blow their covers and armed with lies as well as a bit of goofiness. However, on the start line, they learn how to survive like a ‘genius’ at their own pace, rather than getting ahead of others. “Run forward as if pushing the ground with one foot at a time.”

# Synopsis

Located in a seaside village, the Pebble Elementary School has a running club. Ho-jun is the unrivalled champion runner, followed by Sang-woo in the second place. Eun-su always takes the last place. The boys train hard on the dusty playing fields. Their peace is disrupted when a transfer student named Jeong-min sets a new school record and wins the race. He is handsome, well-built, and shows good sportsmanship. The former champion Ho-jun claims that a mermaid has taken his toe and refuses to run anymore. The boys then decide to go and find that mermaid, and set out towards the sea together.

Playwright Kim Yeon-ju

With her quintessential black humor and sophisticated theatricality, Kim Yeon-ju conveys reality and human nature—in a candid yet daring manner. She majored in theater directing at Korea National University of Arts, where she is currently studying screenwriting in the School of Film, TV & Multimedia. She write for various media platforms including TV and the stage. She adopted Boy with Bicycle Thief Helmet for the NTCK’s TYA(Theatre for Young Audiences) and wrote and directed Good Protein for Doosan Art Lab.

Director Seo Chung-sik

• Senior Director of Theater Company Outsiders
• Professor in School of Drama, Korea National University of Arts

Seo Chung-sik’s previous directorial works Ballads for Roxanne and The Wrestling Season were staged in some thirty cities across the country. He is undoubtedly one of the most important directors for the NTCK’s TYA repertoire. The combination of lively tempos and rhythm—as well as Seo’s unique sense of humor and spontaneity—effectively puts across the physicality and emotions of teenagers. Set in a seaside village and imbued with a visceral sense of pathos, his new TYA production Genius Toe Sprinter tells the story of a group of 12-year-old boys in a running club.