[Anchor]

Director Jang Jin's signature comedy play, The Secret of Flowers, is taking the stage with its first-ever gender-free casting.

From the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's free outdoor concert to a new production by the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater, culture and arts specialist reporter Kim Soo-hyun has the details.

[Reporter]

[Play 'The Secret of Flowers' / Through November 29 / Link Art Center Bugs Hall]

Set in a rural Italian village where patriarchal husbands suddenly disappear in mysterious accidents, chaos unfolds as their wives disguise themselves as their husbands to collect the insurance money.

Director Jang Jin's comedy play The Secret of Flowers has introduced gender-free casting for the first time this season. Alongside female actors such as Jung Kyung-soon, Park Haseon, Yoo Sun, and Chu Gwi-jung, male actors including Jung Woong-in and Sung Ji-roo are taking on the roles of the wives.

The dual structure where male actors play female characters, who in turn disguise themselves as men within the play, adds a fascinating layer.

[Jang Jin / Writer and Director of 'The Secret of Flowers': When I was writing it, the reason I wanted male actors to play female characters was actually a bit different from the meaning of the word 'gender-free' people talk about these days. What it is, is that I wanted to see the ultimate theatrical illusion on stage.]

[Sung Ji-roo / Playing Sophia: From a woman's perspective, a wife's perspective, thinking 'I would love to vent like this, how refreshing that would be'—things like that. But even as I play that role and deliver those lines, I actually feel that refreshment myself.]

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[Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater 'Mugamseogi' / Through the 13th / Sejong Grand Theater]

Motivated by Seoulgut (traditional shamanistic rituals of Seoul), the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater's new production Mugamseogi has taken the stage, offering a fresh interpretation of the purifying and healing meanings inherent in gut.

The title Mugamseogi refers to the impromptu dance performed by the person who commissioned the ritual, who wears a shaman's robe toward the end of the ceremony.

This production portrays mugamseogi as a modern ritual where individuals observe their own inner selves and gain the strength to live on.

Composer Lee Ha-neul took charge of the music, taking on dance music for the first time, while Kimu-gan, who rose to stardom through a dance audition program, participated as assistant choreographer and dancer.

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[Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Park Concert / 19th / Seoul Children's Grand Park Forest Stage]

This year's Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Park Concert will be held at the Forest Stage in Seoul Children's Grand Park.

Music Director Jaap van Zweden will lead the orchestra, performing familiar classical masterpieces such as the Die Fledermaus Overture and The Blue Danube, as well as film scores and musical numbers.

Pianist Suh Hye-kyung and musical actor Choi Jae-rim will also participate, and anyone can attend for free without prior reservation or booking.

(Video by: Oh Se-gwan)