Dances on Mars

Will we live on the red planet in the 21st century?
Imagine that you are now travelling in space, heading toward Mars, passing by a dreamy world of galaxies.
And what if you are not aboard an extravagant spacecraft but on a battered train? Sounds scary or exciting?

This is the story behind the non-verbal performance "People on Mars," directed by Shim Chol-jong, which takes a humorous look at a possible journey to Mars.

As an invitation play for the "Seoul 2000 Theater Festival," sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it sensitively delineates actors' excitement, anticipation, fear, confusion and love through a synthesis of communication conveyed through gesture, facial expression, audio-vidual effects such as electronic sensors, monitors and screens.

Peculiar to the play is the unique rendezvous of three distinctive international artists: Oliver Griem, a German video artist, Dakei Yoshimichi, a Japanese electronic sensor artist and the Japanese light set designer, Soga Masaru, an unusual attempt to be found in Korea.

The audience is mesmerized by their swift and funny interaction combined with a magic play of lights, animation and music. It creates an emotional bond between the artists and the audience, especially when audience is transported by their imagination to another time and place.

If you want a taste of a "refreshing blend of dance, mime and music," open up to improvisational performance.

You can catch "People on Mars" at the Theater ZERO at 8 p.m. from Sep 19 to October 15.
For more detailed information, call 338-9240 or email: thzero@unitel.co.kr

by Kim Jae-Seon