Yoo Seung-ho will play a gay character and Go Joon-hee will play a drug addict.
The casting choices are surprising and show the actors’ willingness to take on challenging roles.
Photos of the practice room for the play “Angels in America” at Sungshin Women’s University were revealed on July 24th.
Director Shin Yoo-cheong, translator Hwang Seok-hee, and actors Yoo Seung-ho, Son Ho-joon, Go Joon-hee, Jung Hye-in, Tae Hang-ho, and Min Jin-woong participated in an interview.
“Angels in America” is a play by Tony Kushner from 1991, set in the US in the 1980s.
The play addresses issues like religion, race, and discrimination faced by social minorities at the end of the century.
Yoo Seung-ho, a veteran actor, recently acted on a theater stage after 25 years.
He decided to participate in the play without a specific reason, feeling compelled to do so.
“There was no specific reason. I just had the feeling that I would do it as if I was possessed. I still don’t know why, but I think it would be very interesting to perform while thinking about the reason I wanted to do this work”.
Yoo Seung-ho prepared for his gay character by researching and trying to understand the perspective of gay individuals.
He wore nail polish, accessories, and delved into movies and the Bible to gain insight into the challenges faced by gay people in their daily lives.
“I didn’t know much about the look from others that gay people face in their daily lives. I didn’t know about it so I looked for movies and read the Bible”, adding “I wore nail polish and accessories and tried to understand it from gay people’s perspectives”.
Son Ho-joon returns to theater stage after a long time, playing the role of Prior.
He expressed his desire to learn from great actors and immerse in his character by watching videos.
“I came here because I wanted to learn more. There are many great actors here so I’m enjoying performing and learning from them”.
Go Joon-hee and Jung Hye-in take on the character Harper Pitt for the first time.
Go Joon-hee mentioned feeling fear of standing on stage but is excited to learn and perform with talented colleagues and staff.
“I wanted to learn more through performances. I’m acting again after a long time and I’m very excited to perform with many good colleagues and staff”.
Jung Hye-in aspired to become an actor after being inspired by a play in middle school.
She aims to create impactful work that resonates with the audience.
“I guess it was ‘Angels in America’ that reached out to me. I also want to create a great work that can reach out to the audience”.
Director Shin Yoo-cheong believes “Angels in America” holds deeper meanings beyond just a play.
“This work contains many meanings beyond the limitation of a play. It was an experience that turned my life upside down”.
The play will be performed at LG Art Center Seoul and LG SIGNATURE Hall from August 6th to September 28th.
