Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il: "We Will Keep Creating Stages for University Theater Artists to Realize Their Dreams"

Mayor Lee Sang-il Attends the Final Round of the University Theater Festival
Shows Support for University Artists While Watching "Zero Point" by Seoul Institute of the Arts
Mayor Lee: "I Hope the University Theater Festival Becomes a Stepping Stone for Future Theater Professionals"

"We will continue to provide support so university theater artists can pursue their dreams and grow. I hope this festival becomes an invaluable stepping stone for the participating students to develop into outstanding theater professionals."

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin Special City, is cheering on college theater artists ahead of watching the final competition play "Zero Point" at the "3rd Korea University Theater Festival" on the 21st. Provided by Yongin City

On the 21st, Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin Special City, visited the venue of the final round of the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival, expressed his support for young theater artists, and affirmed his commitment to the continued development of the festival.

That afternoon, Mayor Lee joined citizens in watching the final round work "Zero Point," an original play by Chouhada, the theater troupe from Seoul Institute of the Arts, at Maru Hall in the Yongin Arts & Cultural Center.

Before the performance, he took time to encourage the participating students by filming a support video for the Korea University Theater Festival.

Mayor Lee stated, "By hosting the 42nd Korea Theater Festival in Yongin in 2024, we wanted to also create a stage where university theater artists could realize their dreams, leading us to launch the Korea University Theater Festival. Over the past three years, Yongin has established itself as a stage for nurturing the dreams of university theater students, and as many universities across the country have applied to participate, it is now growing as the center of university theater."

Lee Sangil, mayor of Yongin Special City, is cheering for university theater artists before watching the final competition work 'Zero Point' at the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival on the 21st. Provided by Yongin City

He added, "We have expanded the number of final round teams from 12 last year to 14 this year and increased the prize money, further strengthening our support so university theater artists can pursue bigger dreams. We will continue developing the Korea University Theater Festival so that young artists may freely create and grow."

He also emphasized, "The Korea University Theater Festival’s greatest strength is that it is the only residential university theater festival in Korea where participants live together for a week, watch each other’s work, exchange inspiration and ideas, and build lasting friendships. I hope this festival becomes a meaningful foundation for the participants, helping them nurture their dreams and grow into outstanding theater artists."

"Zero Point," an original play presented by Chouhada of the Seoul Institute of the Arts, explores human nature and the meaning of survival by depicting the conflicts and choices of people isolated in a theater during a sudden air raid alert. Five actors and six production staff participated, delivering a tense performance lasting about 70 minutes.

The Korea University Theater Festival, launched in 2024 and now in its third year, is the only residential university theater festival in the country. Participating students prepare for their performances while living together at the Yongin Forest Education Center and Yongin Natural Recreation Forest, and take part in exchange programs where they share creative experiences and discussions with peers from other universities.

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin Special City, is taking a commemorative photo with the actors after watching the final competition performance "Zero Point" at the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival on the 21st. Courtesy of Yongin City

This year’s festival, held under the theme "University Theater, Dreaming of a Renaissance," opened on July 11 and will run throughout Yongin until August 2. Fourteen universities from across the country will participate in the final round, presenting original plays and reinterpretations of classic works. Performances are held at venues including Yongin Poeun Art Hall, Maru Hall at Yongin Arts & Cultural Center, Cheoin Hall at Yongin City Arts Center, and the Grand Harmony Hall at Yongin Lifelong Learning Center.

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