The First Full-Length Plays by New Year's Literary Contest Writers to Be Presented to Audiences

Arko Presents "Spring Writer, Winter Stage"
Staged Readings of Nine New Plays at Daehakro Arts Theater, August 12-16
In Collaboration with Dramaturgs and Directors

This year, nine new works by playwrights who won the New Year’s Literary Contest will be presented to audiences as staged readings.

Performance scene of the 2025 'Spring Writer, Winter Stage' reading play 'Dream Sleep Body'. Korea Arts Council

The Korea Arts Council announced on July 15 that Arko·Daehakro Arts Theater will hold the “2026 Spring Writer, Winter Stage” reading performances at the Small Hall of Daehakro Arts Theater in Seoul from August 12 to 16.

Launched in 2008, “Spring Writer, Winter Stage” is a writer-focused project that supports emerging playwrights—debuting through the New Year’s Literary Contest drama category—in completing their first full-length plays.

The theater offers collaboration with field professionals including dramaturgs, directors, and production staff to support each playwright from the conceptualization of the script to stage production. Works showcased in the reading performances are revised and supplemented incorporating feedback from experts and audiences, before being published as a collection in November. Of these, three works selected through review of the readings will be formally staged as full productions by the theater.

This year’s nine works cover stories seeking solidarity and hope amid structural violence and a collapsing world. The lineup includes: “Grass Is Trampled,” which depicts the collision between the Myanmar civil war and poverty in Korean society within a classroom; “Early Morning Sports Day,” a satire on the tragedy of death from overwork behind the early-morning delivery system; “Sunlight Management District: 3rd Paradise,” set in a world where even sunlight is controlled by the state; and “Human As One,” in which AI judges the value of preserving humanity.

Works exploring human compassion and healing will also be introduced. These include: “Believers,” which investigates faith and doubt against the backdrop of a church closed in 1987; “Freediving,” focused on the trauma of a special clean-up worker tasked with solitary death scenes; “Hongju,” portraying a character stripped of their narrative and memories by others; “Sit, Stand, or Lie Down,” dealing with inescapable daily pain; and “After the World Has Almost Ended,” which offers hope in a post-apocalyptic world.

The reading schedule begins on August 12 with “Early Morning Sports Day” and “Believers,” followed by “Freediving” and “Human As One” on the 13th, “Sit, Stand, or Lie Down” and “Hongju” on the 14th, “After the World Has Almost Ended” and “Sunlight Management District: 3rd Paradise” on the 15th, and concludes with “Grass Is Trampled” on the 16th.

After each staged reading, there will be a “Meet the Author” session featuring the playwright, director, and dramaturg, where the audience can learn about the creation process and thematic exploration of the works.

Following these reading performances, Daehakro Arts Theater will also host staged readings of Creative Incubator script competition winners from August 27 to 30. Altogether, a total of 14 new full-length plays will be introduced throughout August as part of the “Summer, Reading Season.”

All staged readings will be accompanied by Korean surtitles, with real-time text interpretation provided for post-performance audience discussions. Guided walking assistance from Hyehwa Station to the theater is also available upon advance request for visually impaired patrons. Admission is free for all seats, with advance reservations available through the theater’s website.

Hong Seungwook, the acting director of Daehakro Arts Theater, stated, “Spring Writer, Winter Stage is a playwright support project that accompanies the year-round journey—from the budding possibilities of New Year’s Contest-winning writers in spring to their fruition on the solid winter stage.” He added, “We look forward to the new and provocative stories presented by these nine emerging writers, and hope for much attention and anticipation.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.