[Anchor]

Performance venues these days are no longer just places to go watch shows. They are transforming into more approachable spaces where people can enjoy new experiences even if they are not attending a performance.

Culture and arts specialized reporter Kim Soo-hyun has the story.

[Reporter]

People visiting the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts starting from the morning.

They are not concertgoers, but participants in a backstage tour.

The inner workings of the venue are revealed behind the stage, filled with stage sets, props, and all sorts of items.

[Yoo Jung-ah/Announcer/Backstage Tour Guide: In English, it is called a batten, and in Korean, there are 35 bars known as hyeonsubong. Different curtains are installed on these bars.]

In the rehearsal room, participants observe a practice session by the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater and even try dancing themselves.

After exploring every corner of the venue and heading up to the rooftop, an outdoor space opens up offering a refreshing panoramic view of Sejong-daero and Gwanghwamun.

[Kim Chae-min/Seocho-gu, Seoul: I had no idea that (the Sejong Center) had such an open space like this. It was great to be able to see those hidden spaces.]

That is not all.

The Sejong Center is continuously rolling out various programs, such as concerts where audiences wander around different parts of the venue to enjoy live performances, a Heritage Dinner turning the theater lobby into a dining hall in collaboration with famous chefs, and a "Listening Stage" where people can lie down on bean bags on stage and listen to music.

[Ahn Ho-sang/CEO of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts: With Netflix, we are in an era where people can experience such content without even having to go outside, and in a situation where competition is intensifying, we wondered if we could create something new that can only be experienced by coming to the theater...]

The Seoul Arts Center, which recently established an outdoor business department, plans to host its first-ever "silent disco party" where participants dance while wearing wireless headphones.

CEO Hahn Nah-chang stated that he aims to turn the Seoul Arts Center into a culture and arts destination bustling with visitors all day long and a hot spot for the MZ generation.

The performance industry expects that as performance venues establish themselves as lifestyle spaces providing such novel experiences, audiences for their main product—performances—will also increase.

(Video reporting: Kim Se-kyung | Video editing: Park Na-young | VJ: Oh Se-kwan)