From July 14th to 17th, Mr. Chen Lei, Assistant to the President of the CAD was invited to attend the 42nd Yongin International Theatre Forum in Republic of Korea (ROK), accompanied by Park Chumei from the Foreign Affairs Office. Chen Lei’s delegation participated in various activities, including the 42nd Yongin International Theatre Forum, the 1st Korea University Student Theater Festival, and a networking event for art-product promotion event. They also signed a memorandum of understanding on exchange and cooperation with the Korean Theater Association.

On the morning of the 15th, Chen Lei delivered the opening speech at the opening ceremony of the 42nd Yongin International Theatre Forum, in which he hailed the Forum as a platform for theatre enthusiasts in Korea and around the world, laying a solid foundation for promoting the exchange and cooperation of theatre arts between China and ROK. As major influential countries in Asia, China and ROK have a long history and profound cultural heritage in the field of theatre arts. The exchange of theatre arts between the two countries not only consolidate the friendship and promote understanding between their peoples but also injects new vitality into the development of global theatre arts.

Chen Lei delivering the opening speech during the ceremony

The opening ceremony was followed by speeches on the updates on various theatre festivals and the status quo of international exchanges. The guest speakers included Hafedh Khalifa, Artistic Director of the Sahara International Theatre Festival in Tunisia; Mrinal Jyoti Goswami, Artistic Director of Bhullung-Bhuthur International Theatre Festival in India; Vlad Cristache, Manager of X-FEST International Youth Theatre Festival in Romania; Mohamed Safeer, founder of Colombo International Theatre Festival in Sri Lanka; Dejan Projkovski, Artistic Director of the Novi Sad National Theatre in Serbia; Lora Chenakova, Head of the International Department of the Drama Theater of Plovdiv in Bulgaria; Sasho Dimoski, Executive Director of the National Theatre Veles in North Macedonia; Basar Ahmet Kemal, Artistic Director of the Ankara National Theatre in Turkey; and Sun Byeongtae, Executive Chairman of the Busan International Performing Arts Festival in Republic of Korea.

‘Antigone’ presented collaboratively by Greece and Republic of Korea

On the evening of the 15th, the attendees watched the performance of ‘Antigone’, a collaborative production by Republic of Korea and Greece. The production team includes Greek directors and playwrights, and Korean actors and stage design teams. A pre-performance discussion was held among the Mayor of Yongin City, the First Secretary from the Greek Embassy in Republic of Korea, the Chairman of the Korea Theater Association, the Executive Chairman of the Yongin Theatre Festival, and international guests.

CAD delegation attending the pre-performance discussion

On the morning of the 16th, Chen Lei represented CAD at the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding between the Central Academy of Drama and the Korea Theater Association. Jeung-Woo Son, President of the Korean Theater Association, stated that the Central Academy of Drama, as China's most influential institution of higher education in theatre arts, will further enhance exchanges between China and Korea in the theatre field. He also mentioned that in the future, both sides will deepen exchanges and cooperation through platforms such as Asia Theatre Education Centre (ATEC), and the Korea University Student Theater Festival, in such forms as theatre-related seminars, forums, workshops, joint judging committees, art markets, and the sharing of online information.

The CAD signing MOU with the Korean Theater Association

On the evening of the 16th, guests attending the 42nd Yongin International Theatre Forum visited the National Forest Education Centre located in the forest park of Yongin City to attend the opening ceremony of the 1st Korea University Student Theater Festival. The ceremony kicked off with performances of 12 short plays, freely staged by theatre students from 12 universities. The opening ceremony conveyed the creativity and vibrancy of young theatre students who were enthusiastic and open to the guests.

On the afternoon of the 17th, Chen Lei and his delegation visited the Samilro Warehouse Theater in Myeongdong, Seoul, for the Networking Day featuring art product promotion organized by the Korea Theater Association. During the event, Park Chunmei introduced the Central Academy of Drama to foreign guests and Korean theatre groups attending the 42nd Yongin International Theatre Forum. She also briefed the audience on the two international organizations initiated by the CAD, the Asia Theatre Education Centre (ATEC) and the World Theatre Education Alliance (WTEA).

During their visit, Chen Lei and his delegation not only presented the CAD to attendees to the 42nd Yongin International Theatre Forum but also gained an in-depth understanding of the scale, invitation criteria, and selection process of theatre festivals from various countries. This endeavour solidified the foundation for showcasing the CAD’s outstanding productions on the global stage.