Park Kolleen, a versatile South Korean artist known for her work as an actress, music director, conductor, and judge of a trotting competition program, is taking on a new challenge in traditional Korean Changgeuk. Park, 57, co-wrote, directed, and served as the musical director for the National Changgeuk Company of Korea’s production ‘Paper Shaman.’ The performance is set to premiere at the Haeoreum Grand Theater at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Jun. 26.
In an interview with the Chosunilbo at the National Theater of Korea, where rehearsals are underway, Park discussed the role of the shaman. “Overseas, they call a shaman a ‘sensitive person,’” she said. “The shaman’s role is to sensitively feel and release the sorrow embedded in the land, water, sea, and wind. Art serves a similar purpose: to comfort and heal when the world is hurting.”
‘Paper Shaman’ tells the story of a young girl with an extraordinary destiny who, along with shamans from various cultures, including Norway, Africa, the Amazon, and Native American traditions, embarks on a journey to heal the sorrows of different lands and histories. The production, featuring Park’s Changgeuk, has already sold out VIP seats in the 1,200-seat theater, with only a few seats remaining on the second and third floors.
Park reflected on global tragedies and the role of art in healing. “The East Coast of the U.S. experiences annual hurricanes that devastate homes and lives. Europe suffered the horrors of the Holocaust. I wonder if a Ssitgimgut (a Korean purification ritual) could ease some of the sadness in these lands. Could it comfort the spirits of the trees in the Amazon, the lives lost in the rainforest’s destruction?” she said.
Park also shared a personal story about her mother, who fled Lithuania at the end of World War II. “In the refugee camps before coming to the U.S., an old man would play the violin at dusk, comforting the exhausted people with his music. The power of art to soothe and heal hasn’t changed over the years. Now that Korea is a cultural powerhouse with K-pop and K-culture, it’s time for our sounds to play a role in soothing a hurting world,” she said.
‘Paper Shaman’ blends the sounds of East and West, reflecting Changgeuk’s hybrid nature, combining Western theater and opera techniques with traditional Korean Pansori Byeongchang. Changgeuk was born with the power of fusion, of melting disparate things into one.
Park emphasized the storytelling prowess of Korean performers. “Our traditional singers can stand alone on stage and narrate everything from the Three Kingdoms Battle of Red Cliffs to the tale of the rabbit and turtle in the underwater dragon palace. I thought, ‘We have the best storytellers in the world! There’s nothing to worry about,” she said.
