Back with more bite-size drama and onstage laughs, Seoul Players’ 10-Minute Play Festival holds its opening round this weekend.The festival features brand new works from Korea and around the globe competing to win the top prize. And this year’s festival, the seventh, presents 160 minutes of theater running the gamut -- from comedy and physical farce to drama and experimental performance. “As in years past, we had an impressive number of play submissions to choose from this time,” said festival p

Gwangju Performance Project will stage William Shakespeare’s comedy “The Taming of the Shrew,” but with a twist: The roles are gender-swapped.In the play, Lucentia wants to marry Bianco, but cannot until his bad-tempered older brother Cato first finds a wife. The plot revolves around efforts to tame Cato and allow Lucentia to get her man. Shows are Saturday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., and again at the same times the following weekend.Tickets are 8,000 won to the early Saturday sho

Seoul Global Center’s Business Start-Up School is offering a course on how to take advantage of Korea’s e-commerce platforms. It is the sixth advanced course offered by the school, in partnership with its business consulting service. Up to 25 people can join the course, which runs at the center’s main building. Classes are in English and take place from 7-9 p.m., from Nov. 29-Dec. 1. The course is free of charge and open to all foreign residents in Seoul.Applications are accepted on a first-come

People looking to do some early Christmas shopping will get a chance to help good causes in the process as Seoul International Women’s Association is set to host its annual fundraising bazaar.Now in its 55th year, the SIWA and Diplomatic Community Bazzaar has been a mainstay of the local community in the build-up to the festive period, raising millions of won for charity each year.Volunteers mind a stall at a previous SIWA Bazaar (SIWA)It’s traditionally been a place to pick up unusual gifts and

With the ongoing problems facing migrants who cross the Mediterranean and increasingly hostile attitudes to migrants in Europe and the US, times are bleak for the world’s migrants.And for the organizers of the Migrant World Film Festival this weekend, there is much less optimism than when they started out 10 years ago.“Our first festival had the slogan of ‘A World Without Borders, Imagination in Motion,’ which was very positive and progressive. But starting again 10 festivals later, for the 11th

Camarata is inviting guests to join it for a networking night accompanied by food, wine and performances from its chamber singers for its autumn fundraiser on Friday.As well as performances and a standing buffet, the “Fall into Music” event will run a raffle with prizes including return trips to the US and holiday getaways in Vietnam and Korea.Camarata is a registered nonprofit organization set up to provide performing opportunities to people in Korea of various nationalities. It runs an auditio

With food, performances and activities to get stuck into, GIC Day is returning to Gwangju on Sunday.On the main stage performances from traditional Korean music to Irish folk, belly dancing and a joint Zumba workout.Finger food from 15 countries, from Rwanda and Indonesia to China and Canada, will be available at booths in the main area. Alongside them, culture booths will share traditional games and crafts from around the world.Those who bring their own tumblers will get 50 percent off drinks.C

The HBC Fest’s fall edition will open on Oct. 20 and run through Oct. 21 for a showcase of local live acts.The festival sees bars and cafes in the Haebangchon area of Seoul near Itaewon open their doors and rig up stages for a two-night collection of free concerts. Four venues will open up on Oct. 20 from 9 p.m. – Thunderhorse Tavern, Phillies, Genie Pub and the Hidden Cellar. Another seven stages will be added for the next day, with music starting at 5 p.m. A full list of schedules is available

Seoul Shakespeare Company will make an uncharacteristically modern return to the stage this weekend with the contemporary play “Garage,” a claustrophobic tale of past grudges.The play starts as high school English teacher David returns to his hometown with his wife for the funeral of his estranged, alcoholic father. While visiting his father’s emptied-out garage, they unexpectedly encounter Brandon, David’s childhood bully. The scenario -- the whole play takes place in the garage -- makes for a

Daejeon Arts Collective is holding a weeklong exhibition at the Daejeon Gallery from Thursday. The exhibition, “Twelfth Night,” is a group show by the DJAC, a group of expat and Korean artists. Work displayed at the show includes print work, painting, photography and sculpture from 14 artists, with a performance at the show’s reception on Saturday.“Twelfth Night” was chosen as a catchy title more than a theme, though DJAC president Rosalie Knaack says two artists used it for inspiration in their

Itaewon will close its main strip this weekend for the Itaewon Global Culture Festival.The festival is an annual celebration combining live performances with foods and products from various foreign communities.Stalls selling food, craft beer and other items will fill the area between Itaewon and Noksapyeong stations and some of Itaewon Antique Street, with stages at each end.The main festivities will start with a parade at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and an opening concert with pop music headlined by ro

The covers of "The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher" and the new translated poetry collection by Ahn Do-hyun.Seoul Book and Culture Club will be hosting best-selling author and poet Ahn Do-hyeon on Saturday.Ahn’s main activity is poetry, for which his accolades include the Poetry and Poetics Young Poet Award, the Sowol Poetry Award, and the Baekseok Literary Award. But his best-known work in translation is “The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher,” a multimillion-selling story that has been made in E

With Zandari Festa around the corner, several expat groups are gearing up to show their stuff at Korea’s biggest indie music showcase. Zandari, a three-day showcase festival across 10 venues in the Hongdae area of Seoul, will host 120 acts from across Korea and overseas this year.　Among them is Koncept, a US rapper relatively new to the local scene. With three albums under his belt, he was invited to play two shows here in November, but as word got around, he was asked to play more shows and sta

Seoul City Improv, the city’s first and only English-speaking improvised comedy troupe, will be marking 10 years in the funny business with an anniversary show-slash-party Saturday.The troupe started out performing the kind of short-form improv made famous by “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?” but later branched out into other forms, such as long-form improv and musical improv comedy, and SCI will try to highlight all its facets at the show.Seoul City Improv (SCI)SCI has been busy in recent years, acco