Tour to visit Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan following Seoul performances
Based on true story spanning 94 years of Koryo Theater's history
Timed ahead of September Korea-Central Asia summit

The number of countries on the tour route grew from one last year to three this year. Because the tour was arranged ahead of the September summit, whether it translates into concrete cultural diplomacy outcomes is expected to be confirmed only after the meeting.

According to SayArt on the 14th, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will hold a two-week tour of the special production "The Theater Runs!" starting next month on the 13th, marking Gwangbokjeol, Korea's National Liberation Day.

Gwangbokjeol commemorates August 15, 1945, the date Korea regained sovereignty after the end of Japanese colonial rule. Cultural events tied to the independence movement are held nationwide around this date each year.

This year's tour is the second in a series, following last year's "Train No. 37," staged for the 80th anniversary of liberation. The foundation said the tour was organized to expand cultural cooperation ahead of the Korea-Central Asia summit set to take place in Korea in September.

Performances begin August 13 and 14 at Daehakro Theater Quad in Seoul. The tour then moves to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 19; Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on August 23; and Astana, Kazakhstan, on August 27.

The play is centered on a 13-member traveling theater troupe that departed from Korea. It is based on the true story of the Koryo Theater, which has operated for 94 years since its founding in 1932. The narrative follows people who lost their homeland, tracing their journey and lives inside freight trains from Sinhanchon in Russia's Primorsky Krai to Seoul.

The production is directed by Byun Young-jin, who won the Young Theater Award at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards for the play "Place." The script was written by Oh Se-hyuk. Actor Isasha, an ethnic Korean of the fourth generation, known as Koryo-saram, based in Uzbekistan, appears in the production.

Song Hyung-jong, chief executive of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, said "The Theater Runs!" tells the story of the history and coexistence of Central Asia's multiethnic communities, extending beyond the diaspora of the Korean people, or Koryo-saram. Song added that he hopes the performance will serve as a starting point for Seoul to advance cultural diplomacy as an international cooperation platform with Central Asia.

Whether the tour, arranged ahead of the summit, will lead to tangible cultural diplomacy outcomes remains a question to be answered.

[Sayart = Nao Yim]