80th Avignon Theater Festival Begins, Featuring Korean as Guest of Honor

The prestigious Festival d'Avignon, one of the world's largest and most esteemed theater events, has commenced its 80th edition in southern France. This year, Korean language and culture take center stage as the guest of honor, highlighted by the presence of Nobel Prize in Literature winner Han Kang. The festival, which will run until July 25, officially opened with Julien Gosselin's five-hour performance 'Maldoror.' This piece delves into the complex relationship between writers and the concept of evil, drawing inspiration from works by authors such as Lautréamont and Roberto Bolaño. Following last year's focus on Spanish language and figures like dancer Israel Galván, this year's Spanish participation is led by Andrea Jiménez with her intimate rendition of Shakespeare's 'King Lear,' titled 'Casting Lear.' In this production, Jiménez invites a different actor each night to perform alongside her, exploring the intersection of reality and fiction and questioning the possibility of forgiving parental mistreatment. Latin American representation is strong, particularly from Brazil, which presents the 'Trilogia Cadela Força' (Force Bitch Trilogy). This co-production with the Netherlands addresses sexual violence and will be shown in its entirety between July 4 and 13. Brazilian actor Wagner Moura, widely recognized for his role as Pablo Escobar in the series 'Narcos' and an Oscar nominee for 'O Agente Secreto,' is also a significant presence. He participates in 'Un procès – après l'ennemi du peuple' (A Trial – After An Enemy of the People), a historic initiative co-produced by three major European theater festivals celebrating their 80th anniversaries: Avignon, the Edinburgh International Festival, and the Holland Festival. Inspired by Henrik Ibsen's 150-year-old play 'An Enemy of the People,' this performance runs from July 11 to 22. Furthermore, Han Kang's presence in Avignon is marked by 'Oiseau,' an adaptation of her novel 'I Give You My Word' (also known as 'Impossible to Say Goodbye'), featuring actress Isabelle Huppert alongside South Korean Hyeyoung Lee on July 15 and 16. Korean theater will also be showcased through works like Jaha Koo's 'Cuckoo' and 'Haribo Kimchi,' Kyung-Sung Lee's 'Island Story,' and Lee Jaram's 'Neige, neige, neige' (Snow, Snow, Snow). In total, the 22-day festival will feature 47 distinct performances, with 30 of them being new creations.

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The edition number 80 of the Festival de Aviñón (south of France), one of the largest and most prestigious in the world of theater, will begin this Sunday with the Korean language as guest of honor, a prominence that will be noted with the presence of Nobel laureate in Literature Han Kang.