Theatre on Screen 2015 : Live K-Performances

Title: ‘The Life Cord’

Director: Oh, Tae-suk (The National Drama Company of Korea)

Running Time: 83mins

Synopsis:

Sa Yuk Sin, the collective name of six Ministers who are unswerving in their loyalty to the dethroned King Tanjong are persuaded by the newly crowned King Sejo to serve him in exchange for their lives.

Loyalist, Park Peng Nyon’ father is called Park Chung Lim. When Lim announces that their family will shortly be executed, one of his servants advises him that the death of his unborn great-grandchild child could save the family. Lim and his granddaughter-in-law go to King Sejo and petition him to allow the baby to be born. When their petition is turned down, Lim explodes with fury and attempts to kill the King, but ends up being killed by his granddaughter-in-law. She appeals to King Sejo once again for the life of the unborn baby, and the King grants a pardon should the baby be a daughter, but not a son. She gives a birth to a baby boy, but switches the baby with her servant’s baby in order to save the child, while the female servant is left to accept the loss of her baby.

Shin Suk Ju a colleague of the loyalists tries to prevent any future conflict by making Wang Pang Yon kill Prince Keum Sung. King Tanjong had wanted an alliance with Prince Keum Sung after killing Prince Ui Kyung. After which a servant approaches King Sejo with a baby boy in his arms, and confesses that the boy is actually the great-grandson of Park Paeng Nyon. King Sejo then realizes what has happened and saves the boy, naming him Ilsan.

Introduction of the National Company of Korea

The National Drama Company of Korean was established in 1950, with the birth of National Drama Centre of Korea (NDCK). As the only national drama company, it has continued and succeeded the tradition of Korean modern theatre. Ever since it was established it has always attempted to stage the classics and masterpieces of the world and to develop original Korean plays. World Classic Stages, which began in 1986 was designed to introduce the world’s most renowned classics to Korean audiences, since then they have successfully staged twenty masterpieces, including ‘Bourgeois Gentilhomme’, ’Uncle Vanya’, and ‘The Robbers’. Also, starting from 2004, the Centre has worked to re-define and build up the major repertoire of the NDCK, celebrating their 50th anniversary saw the staging of plays such as ‘Lightning’ ‘Life Forfeited’, ‘Forest Fire’, ‘Water Swell’, ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and ‘A Happy Occasion of the Maengs’.