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Music theater: The rise of the interactive production

Published: 24 Dec. 2025, 19:03 Updated: 25 Dec. 2025, 13:49

A scene from the “Practice of Harmony” workshop showcase held in October 2025 at TINC (This Is Not a Church) in Samseon-dong, Seoul [SEOUL PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL]

On stages across Korea, a new kind of performance has begun to blur the boundaries between concert, stage play and dance recital. Driven by young composers, the music theater productions ask audiences not just to listen and watch, but to move and sometimes participate.

At an October performance in Seoul, a chorister stepped onto the stage and turned to the audience with a simple suggestion: sing together.

As the crowd hummed a single A note, the house lights went out. A low electronic tone filled the darkness before a spotlight revealed a projection of a music staff unfurling across the stage floor like a red carpet. Four dancers entered, moving along the lines as embodied notes for soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

The scene came from "Practice of Harmony," a music theater work directed by the composer Kim Jae-hoon, and it captured the spirit of a growing movement that resists easy categorization. These productions combine contemporary music with elements of drama, dance and performance art, challenging the expectations of the classical concert hall.

Often grouped under the umbrella term “music theater,” the genre places music at its center while freely incorporating other artistic forms. The term gained popularity following works by composers such as Mauricio Kagel, an Argentine-born composer who was active in Germany in the 1960s.

In Korea, the form has taken hold more recently. “Young composers and performing ensembles in Korea began bringing music theater works to the stage in earnest after the Covid-19 pandemic ended,” said critic Lee Min-hee.

Recent productions share a striking openness to contrast and hybridity. Traditional Korean music appears alongside Western classical idioms. Analog instruments share the stage with synthesizers. Tonal passages coexist with atonal ones. Boundaries between music, dance, theater and media art fall away.

Last month, the contemporary music ensemble WhatWhy Art presented a production that roughly translates to "The Little Mermaid," weaving together traditional music, modern composition and electronic sound. The role of the mermaid went to the traditional dancer Jeong So-yeon, while the prince was played by the mime artist Lim Jae-heon.

These formal experiments shape not only the sound and visuals but also the works’ themes and narratives.

"I used dance performance and media art to explain harmony theory, which specialists already know, in the most accessible way possible," said Kim. "The role of the composer now expands into planning and directing."

A scene from “Machines Thinking Musically,” a performance reenacted by Musica ex Machina in November 2025 [MUSICA EX MACHINA]

Compared to musicals or straight plays, many music theater works rely on loose structures rather than tightly plotted narratives. That flexibility expands the role of performers and often invites improvisation.

"Machines Thinking Musically," performed on Nov. 27 and 28 by the ensemble Musica ex Machina, exemplified the approach. Three performers played early instruments such as the recorder and theorbo alongside modular synthesizers, improvising much of the music.

Near the end of the performance, more than 100 sound-producing objects placed across the stage — including loudspeakers and bowls — joined the musicians to create a single, enveloping soundscape.

"We don’t use a written score or script," said Yun Hyun-jong, the ensemble’s director. "We discuss only a loose structure with the performers before going onstage."

Music theater also narrows the distance between stage and audience. In "Farce of Techne," performed earlier this month at a creative workshop by Ensemble TIMF, performers moved freely among screen projections, the main stage, transitional spaces and the audience seating area. They wore casual clothing rather than formal concert attire.

"By transforming the space, the audience not only receives the same energy the performers feel, but at times senses that they are participating in the work within the same space," said Moon Jong-in, the programming director at Ensemble TIMF.

A scene from the performance “Farce of Techne,” released by Ensemble TIMF on Dec. 5. [ENSEMBLE TIMF]

Behind these experiments lies concern about contemporary classical music’s shrinking audience.

"These days, the only people who attend an ordinary contemporary music concert are the composer’s family or people from the field," a contemporary composer said on the condition of anonymity. "These are attempts to bring audiences back, a kind of effort to survive."

Critic Lee Min-hee said music theater attracts a noticeably different crowd. “When you attend a music theater performance, you see an audience very different from that at a traditional classical concert hall. The experimental elements can feel hip and refined to younger audiences.”

High production costs remain a major obstacle.

"Venue rental fees, stage and sound equipment and the labor costs for technical staff all add up to large sums. Promotion is also difficult, which makes it hard to guarantee ticket revenue," said director Yoon.

Most of these productions, in fact, rely on public funding from organizations such as Arts Council Korea or the Seoul International Performing Arts Festival.

For the movement to continue, some argue, audience attitudes must also evolve.

"Classical audiences in Korea remain heavily focused on 19th-century repertoire. A true cultural power requires active creation and respect for new works," said Na Joo-ri, a professor in the music department at Dongduk Women’s University.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]