NTCK to stream ‘Scapin,’ premiere of new ‘Hamlet’

The National Theater Company of Korea is to stream barrier-free play “Scapin” and the premiere of newly-produced “Hamlet” online.

Play “Scapin” will be streamed Friday and Saturday. “Scapin,” based on “The Rogueries of Scapin” written by French playwright Moliere, had its Korean premiere with the theater company in 2019. 

The play is led by Scapin, a cunning, deceitful servant who plays the other characters off against each other to help two young couples in love.

The play was to run for about a month in fall last year, but had to close early due to the fire at the Myeongdong Theater on Oct. 27.

Brought online this week, the play will be streamed with special support for viewers with disabilities.

For Friday’s streaming, sign language translation will be provided with Korean-language subtitles for hearing-impaired audiences. On the next day, screen commentary for visually-impaired audiences will be available.

The theater company collaborated with the Korea Disability Arts&Culture Center for the barrier-free online streaming. 

From Feb. 25-27, the company will have its premiere of the newly-produced “Hamlet.” The play was set to be staged last year in celebration of the theater’s 70th anniversary, however, it could not go onstage due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

The play will be streamed four times for three days. It will offer two versions -- one filmed from a single perspective as if watched from the audience seats, and the other with multiple perspectives edited into a single clip.

The online streaming of the two plays is available for free. Audiences can make donations ranging from 5,000 won to 20,000 won. Tickets must be reserved through the company’s call center or its official website.

Starting this year, the National Theater Company of Korea will stream four or five of its productions, including “The Orphan of Zhao: Seeds of Revenge” in April and “Roadkill in the Theater” in October.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)