Repertoire
The Maids in Korea
Adapted & Directed by
Kim Hyuntak
Original Play by
Jean Genet
Reviews
One cannot easily read the entire narrative of the performance, because the narrative motifs of the original piece are provided in fragments and the fiction and the reality are often juxtaposed. But thanks to this strategy of deconstruction, the fragments of the narrative newly constructed can strongly meet the audience. As it takes the form of meta-theatre, the grotesque, insane actions that Madame and the maids show remind us of the unequal composition of power between critique and actor, theory and theatrical practice, traditional drama and postdramatic theatre, and mainstream and outside. The maids who continue the theatre until all the corporeal energy is exhausted, even with lots of contempt and mockery, show the great desire or the cruel fate of the actors who never give up the theatre even in pain and despair. (Baek Rora, Cruel play of today's maids, The Performing Arts & Film Review no.75, 2011)
Description
Jean Genet's "The Maids" is inherently comprised of numerous layers of nested plays. Then, who are the actual maids living within that world, and what are their true emotions? Perhaps, although they live each moment as if it were 'real,' in fact, everything is nothing more than a 'play'? Just like that, "The Maids" is intertwined with a narrative about theatre. This production, "The Maid in Korea," seeks to passionately unveil the intense layers of overlap and confusion.
The maids have just murdered Monsieur, who had previously raped one of them, leading to the crime. As they try to erase any traces of the murder from the scene, blood seeps from the body of Monsieur in a box at the corner of the stage (representing the costume box in the original). Crouched in tension and immersion, Claire and Solange, driven by shock, fear, and a perverse thrill, agree to kill Madame in order to perfect their crime.
However, the narrative abruptly shifts as Madame enters, embodying the role of a critic who disapproves of such theatricality. With her appearance, everything the maids were doing or living, their genuine temporality, becomes confined within the framework of 'theater,' criticized and torn apart by the standards of this theatricality, including their terror of the murder and fear of another one.
History
Technical Requirements
(1) Stage Dimensions:
- Small Theater (Fixed Seating):
- Minimum Width: 7m / Minimum Depth: 8m / Minimum Height: 4m
- Black Box (Flexible Seating):
- Minimum Width: 7m / Minimum Depth (including seating): 12m / Minimum Height: 4m
(2) Miscellaneous:
- Stage to Floor: No specific requirements
- Set:
- Minimum of 40 foldable steel chairs (without uniformity in audience seating) *Prepared by the presenter
- Rectangular frame (7m*3m, depends on the size of the stage) - Material: Iron, requires four wheels. *If possible, prepared by the presenter
- Props:
- Plastic transport baskets (Size: 4m*7m*4m)
*Prepared by the SBTcompany
- Sound:
- Using a portable amp speaker · Macbook with Qlab
*Prepared by the SBTcompany
- Lighting:
- Two mercury lamps (100W x 2) *Prepared by the SBTcompany
Tour Size
3 Performers and 4 Staff