'Changgeuk and jingju are alike': World music drama odyssey opens in September

A promotional image for the 2026 World Music Drama Festival centered on changgeuk [National Theater of Korea]

"Changgeuk and jingju are alike. They share a common thread — roles are divided, singing takes center stage, and each has an ensemble accompaniment and a complete narrative arc."

Fu Xiru of the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company, who plays the lead role of Jidan in "Prince Jidan's Revenge" — a jingju reimagining of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" — drew that comparison between Korea's changgeuk and Chinese jingju.

Traditional Asian music drama has long pushed past its own boundaries, driven by the twin imperatives of preservation and innovation. Changgeuk, which has gained a new following in recent years by producing what fans call "pansori idols," is no exception — nor are China's jingju or Thailand's masked dance drama. Now these forms, each fighting to stay vital, will share a single stage.

The 2026 World Music Drama Festival centered on changgeuk, subtitled "Music Drama Odyssey," will run Sept. 3–26 at the Haeoreum, Daloreum and Sky theaters of the National Theater of Korea, the theater announced Wednesday.

Now in its second year, the festival takes changgeuk as its anchor and surveys the contemporary currents and future possibilities of music drama traditions from around the world. A total of nine productions will greet audiences — three produced by the National Theater of Korea, two international guest works and four domestic guest works.

Among the international offerings is "Prince Jidan's Revenge" by the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company (Sept. 12–13, Haeoreum Theater), which won the Herald Angel Award at the 2011 Edinburgh International Festival. Feng Gang, who adapted the work, said capturing the essence of a Western classic through the unique expressive language of traditional Chinese theater is how jingju reaches out to the world and broadens its range. "Eastern and Western cultures share commonalities as well as differences," he said. "The use of symbol and suggestion will feel familiar to Korean audiences, making it easier for them to be drawn in."

Nam Sang-il (left) and Kim Jun-su, appointed as ambassadors for the 2026 World Music Drama Festival centered on changgeuk [National Theater of Korea]

Also taking the stage is "Khon: The Story of Ramakien" (Sept. 4–5, Sky Theater), a traditional masked dance drama performed by the Royal Ballet of Thailand under the Ministry of Culture and listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Siriphong Thawisap, director-general of the Department of Performing Arts at Thailand's Ministry of Culture, said the production transcends language through its formalized choreography, piphat music and face-concealing masks. "We have newly arranged five acts for this performance and refined it with a contemporary sensibility by adding lighting, color and sound," he said.

This year's festival also marks a homecoming of sorts for two celebrated sorijkkun — vocal performers — who were once standard-bearers of the National Changgeuk Company. Kim Jun-su and Nam Sang-il, appointed as festival ambassadors, will share a stage together for the first time. The pair are set to perform in "Changgeuk Concert — Heungbo Strokes the Gourd" (Sept. 9–10, Daloreum Theater), showcasing the wit and vocal artistry of two star performers.

Kim joined the National Changgeuk Company in 2013 and spent 13 years there before leaving earlier this year. He is widely credited as the driving force behind changgeuk's surge in popularity and its string of sold-out runs over the past decade. Reflecting on overseas tours, he said the appeal that foreign audiences responded to was the collective energy the sorijkkun create together. "Even without a shared language, audiences read the emotions that performers express most honestly through song," he said. "Many people told us they were overwhelmed by that waterfall of energy."

Kim Jun-su, appointed as ambassador for the 2026 World Music Drama Festival centered on changgeuk [National Theater of Korea]

Nam recalled a performance at the 2016 Festival d'Automne in Paris, where he and master vocalist Ahn Sook-sun completed a full three-and-a-half-hour rendition of "Sugungga" and received a 30-minute standing ovation. "Foreign audiences receive our music as art itself, without prejudice," he said. He added that pansori is the essence of changgeuk, just as pure tuning is the ultimate goal of any instrument. "It only feels unfamiliar because people haven't tasted it yet — once they truly encounter it, anyone will inevitably fall under its spell," he said.

In addition to the two international guest works, the festival has expanded its domestic lineup this year. Opening the program are the National Changgeuk Company's signature repertoire piece "Gwito" (Sept. 3–6) and "Ong Ong Ong" (Sept. 3–6), a barrier-free music drama based on the classic novel "Onggojipjeon." Further productions include "Dokgapidaek Surennorae" (Sept. 12–13) by the National Folk Music Institute, a newly created changgeuk that uses legends of Jirisan to soothe the wounds of war, and "Huigyeongnubanghwedo" (Sept. 17–18) by the South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special Metropolitan Changgeuk Company, a dance-drama inspired by National Treasure No. 1879 depicting the friendship of old companions. Kim Yong-ho, artistic director of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special Metropolitan Changgeuk Company, said drawing on the most locally rooted cultural heritage of a region produces work that is most authentically Korean — and most universal. "When we staged the regional premiere last June, every seat sold out a month and a half in advance," he said.

From the independent sector, the lineup includes "Haenyeo Detective Hong Seol-rok" (Sept. 18–19) by Pansori Factory Badak Sori, a pansori detective drama woven from the anti-Japanese resistance of Jeju haenyeo during the colonial period, and "Baengmansa" (Sept. 24–26) by Hyeseong Company, a jukebox music drama that strings together 42 popular songs spanning 100 years of modern Korean history to distill the lives of ordinary people.

Yoo Eun-seon, head of the festival organizing committee and artistic director of the National Changgeuk Company, said the human story lies at the heart of all these forms. "Changgeuk, Chinese jingju, Thai Khon — ultimately, they are all about the way people live," she said. "Starting from our own distinct language, this will be a space where we enter into dialogue with music drama from other worlds, unraveling through song, gesture, dance and performance the thoughts and events that words alone cannot convey."

shee@heraldcorp.com