Korean play "Yeokhaenggi" explores intergenerational trauma through mythic descent

The National Theater Company of Korea is staging "Yeokhaenggi" ( 역행기 ), a new play that won the grand prize in the company's original script competition after 15 years. The production, which has undergone two years of development, will be performed from next month 3rd to 13th at the Myeongdong Arts Theater in Seoul.

The play centers on Inanna, a woman who has lived in seclusion for eight years and is on the verge of giving up on life. When her home is demolished, she descends through the floor into a mysterious underground world called 'Kigal.' This realm, where lost and forgotten things gather and memories fade, is where she encounters her family, transformed into bizarre beings. Her grandmother, 'Jumoni,' grows roots and crafts wings for her daughter. Her mother, 'Eresh,' tries to fly with a damaged wing. Her sister, 'Pink,' stands on all fours with a hammer, and another sister, 'Dol-deng-i,' is fused with stone. They confront their deep-seated traumas, blame each other, seek forgiveness, and ultimately strive to send only Inanna back to the surface world.

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The journey of Inanna, the oldest recorded goddess of heaven and earth, to the underworld to gain power was very brave, and I wonder if modern women don't want to gain strength from that goddess, so I borrowed this myth.

Inspired by the ancient Sumerian myth of "Inanna's Descent into the Underworld," the 200-minute play adds a layer of fantasy to the narrative of descent and return. The original myth tells of Inanna, the first recorded goddess in human history, who is stripped of all possessions and dies naked at the underworld's seven gates, only to be resurrected with the help of the gods. "Yeokhaenggi" weaves this ancient story with the experiences of three generations of Korean women who endured the hardships of modern Korean history.

Playwright Kim Ju-hee explained that the myth was chosen because Inanna's journey to gain power from the underworld resonates with the strength modern women seek. Director Shin Jae-hoon noted that while pain can lead to despair, in this play, it transforms into a new source of strength, suggesting a connection for audiences to their own struggles. The stage design by Park Dong-woo uses projections and a movable stage set to visualize the descent into the underworld, creating a powerful visual representation of Inanna's journey.

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Pain can be despair, but in writer Kim Ju-hee's world, it acts as a new source of strength. There will be points where the play connects with the pain in the audience's daily lives.