Chuncheon Transforms into a Giant Puppet Stage... 38th Chuncheon Puppet Festival Opens on the 10th

【Financial News Chuncheon=Reporter Kim Ki-seop】Every corner of Chuncheon will be transformed into a giant puppet stage.
According to Chuncheon on the 1st, the 38th Chuncheon Puppet Festival, Asia's largest puppet festival, will run for seven days from the 10th to the 16th at the Chuncheon Puppet Theater, Chuncheon City Hall Plaza, Festival Theater Momzit, KT&G Sangsangmadang Chuncheon Art Center, and other venues across the city. This year's slogan, "Puppets Crossing Boundaries," reflects the idea that puppet theater is an art form that connects people across generations, cultures and languages.
A total of 99 teams from 10 countries will take part in the festival, presenting 105 works in 193 performances. In Korea, productions such as the musical puppet show "Pinocchio" will meet audiences, while artists from France, Spain and Israel will expand the boundaries of traditional puppet theater with works that use objects, the body and music. Israel's "Edith and Me" is an adult-oriented production that explores the human inner world and memory through the relationship between puppets and actors. Outdoor performances and off-site shows will also be held in open spaces outside the theater and throughout the city, offering visitors a different experience.
The opening ceremony will begin in spectacular fashion with the Puppet Carnival at 6:30 p.m. on the 12th. About 1,000 artists and citizens will march 1.5 kilometers from Festival Theater Momzit to Chuncheon City Hall Plaza with giant puppets and installations. Pre-show performances, special acts and the main theme performance will be staged at the plaza. This year, the festival will also present a performance that blends puppet theater and choral music in partnership with the All-Generations Choir Festival.
Programs for creation and exchange are also abundant. On the closing day, the 16th, the Puppet Theater Art Market will be held at KT&G Sangsangmadang Chuncheon Art Center, bringing together more than 170 domestic and international marketers to explore opportunities for performance contracts and co-productions. An International Forum and roundtable discussions on topics such as the independence of local festivals and puppet theater copyrights will also continue from the 13th. In addition, family-friendly programs will include a flea market with 40 children serving as vendors, along with food trucks and a flea market.
Oh Hwa-yeon, secretary general of the Chuncheon Puppet Festival, said, "This is a festival where citizens and artists meet and enjoy themselves together not only inside the theater, but throughout Chuncheon," adding, "We will create an opportunity for Chuncheon to establish itself as a global center of puppet theater by encompassing performances, creation, exchange and distribution."

[email protected] Kim Ki-seop Reporter