Pojagi
About the Production
Pojagi is a prismatic exploration of Korean history from the 16th century to the dawn of the 21st century, focusing primarily on Korea’s relations with Japan and the United States. Inspired by traditional Korean shamanistic rituals, Pojagi was devised as a theatrical rite of discovery and longing, a summoning of the dead to give witness to the present. Eyewitness testimonies of early encounters between Europeans and Koreans, a succession of Japanese occupations, the assassination of Korea’s Queen Min, the arbitrary partition of the Korean peninsula at the dawn of the Cold War, and reflections on the delicate ecosystem of the demilitarized zone combine to tell the tale of an indomitable people and embattled land.
Pojagi is the fourth part of Ping Chong’s East/West Quartet.
Production Team And Cast
Conceived, Written and Directed by
Ping Chong
Dramaturgs
Dong II Lee and Sandra Weathers Smith
Choreography
Sun Young Park
Set Design
Watoku Ueno
Lighting Design
Darren McCroom
Graphic Design
Jan Hartley
Sound Design
Brian Hallas
Costume Design
Stefani Mar
Technical Director
Hitoshi Yoshiki
Production Manager
Courtney Golden
Cast
Esther K. Chae, C.S. Lee, Shin Young Lee and Sun Young Park
Performance History
Workshop
Harvard University Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, Cambridge, MA (July 1999)
Premiere
La MaMa E.T.C., New York, NY (February 2000)
Tours
DMZ Festival 2000, Imjingak, South Korea Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue (December 1999 – January 2000)
Partners
The Harvard Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue
