Jaha Koo
South Korea | Performance

The History of Korean Western Theatre

The South Korean theatremaker and composer Jaha Koo has now been living and working for several years in Amsterdam, where he studied at the renowned DasArts academy. In his clever documentary theatre productions, he interweaves personal stories with historical, political and sociological facts on various media levels. His artistic research focuses on South Korea’s past and its impact on the present, especially where it involves a clash of eastern and western culture.

His touching solo performance «Cuckoo» was a big hit with audiences at Basler Dokumentartage 2019. Jaha Koo is returning to Basel for the theatre festival along with his latest work «The History of Korean Western Theatre». It raises questions about tradition, self-censorship and authenticity and why there is actually no space for Korean theatre tradition. Since Korean theatre is largely determined by the western canon. But Jaha Koo asks why South Koreans are so proud of this western interpretation? And why does everyone keep referring to Shakespeare? <