A Thousand Blues: Theatrical Adaptation of Cheon Seonran’s Bestseller

★★★★★

Awarded Grand Prize in the Novel Category, 4th Korean Science Literature Awards (2019)

Selected as one of ‘Books to Open 2021’ by Maeil Business Newspaper and Kyobo Book 

Selected as one of ‘100 Recommended Books for Youth Day’ in the 2022 Youth Book Year

A sci-fi production meticulously developed over 7 months.
A stage cloaked in the wonders of science and technology!

Cheon Seon-ran’s bestselling science fiction novel A Thousand Blues, which has sold over 100,000 copies, meets Jang Hae-sae, a theater director who has long contemplated the coexistence of ‘scientific technology’ and ‘existence.’ The NTCK’s first robot actor finally steps onto the stage after undergoing a development process through the Changzak Gonggam: Directors Program! Kim Do-young’s careful adaptation, with its dense and heartwarming language, imbues the production with the warmth of the original novel. Beginning in April, the sci-fi production A Thousand Blues will evoke feelings of solidarity and consolation beyond species, gently spreading warm waves in the hearts of the audience.

[Changzak Gonggam: Directors] No. 1: Jang Han-sae’s A Thousand Blues

Selected through an open call in 2023, directors Jang Han-sae and Kim Yeon-min spent seven months developing new works under the theme of ‘scientific technology and art.’ Through research, study, lectures, consultations, and workshops, they delved deep into the intersection of art and technology, as well as the science fiction genre. As a result, Jang has brought Cheon Seon-ran’s science fiction novel A Thousand Blues to the stage, based on his exploration of whether robots or non-human entities can exist on stage. In this everyday science fiction play, the director aims to tell a story in which scientific technology serves as a means of communication.

SYNOPSIS

The story is set in the future where humanoid jockeys are used to help racehorses speed up. A humanoid jockey named Coli serves as the partner of Today, once hailed as the fastest racehorse in the world. Coli senses Today’s joy through his vibrations, knowing that he is happiest when he is running. However, when Today is no longer able to run at full speed, Coli sacrifices himself by falling off the horse, resulting in severe dismemberment of the lower half of his body. One day, a girl named Yeon-jae finds Coli facing disposal and spends her entire fortune to buy and repair the robot. Meanwhile, Yeon-jae’s sister Eun-hye, in a wheelchair, goes to the racetrack stable, her only refuge, and discovers that Today is about to be euthanized. Together with Coli, the two sisters come up with a plan to thwart this fate. As a result, Today is given one last chance to run on the main track. Having practiced running at a slower pace, Today prepares for his final race.

Original novel written by Cheon Seonran

Born in Incheon, South Korea in 1993, Cheon Seonran graduated from the Creative Writing Department of Anyang Arts High School and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Dankook University. She dreams of an earth where animals and plants are mainstream, and humans are non-mainstream. In addition to her contemplation of a writer's imagination, she constantly thought about the end of the Earth and imagined events taking place elsewhere in the universe. One day she decided to put these ideas into a novel. She spends most of her time imagining and writing.

Major Works

『The Savior at Night』, 『A Thousand Blues』, 『Some Shape of Love』, 『A Broken Bridge』

Awards

Excellence Prize in the Novel Category, 7th SF Awards (2020) – A Broken Bridge

Grand Prize in the Novel Category, 4th Korean Science Literature Awards (2019) – A Thousand Blues

Adapted by Kim Do-young

Kim Do-young thinks about what has happened, what will happen, and what might happen, and intends to write stories about the human psyche. She focuses on the voices of individuals in history and ultimately aims to become a "humanistic writer.

Major Works

Plays: <The Fisherman>, <the moon>, <The Story of Wang Seogae>, <Crystal Night>, <Arok and Lucy>

Adaptation: <Red Leaves>

Directed by Jang Han-sae

Through the medium of 'robots,' which epitomize the exponential progress of technology, Jang Han-sae presents on stage various phenomena of the hyper-connected world created by advanced technology, while sensing the ‘blurred boundaries’ of numerous values. In today’s increasingly multi-dimensional world, he acknowledges the inevitability of 'borderless coexistence' with many entities. At the same time, he discovers our unstable self-portrait that has yet to be fully realized. Now, Jang Han-sae seeks the courage to face it.

Major Works

<The Fisherman>, <Winkie>, <Mount>, <The World Ends Like This: Without a Bang, Only with a Sob>, <the moon>, <the old lady's mask play>, <#Funeral>, <Homo Robotacus>

Awards

Nominee for the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards Young Theater Artist Award (2023) – The World Ends Like This: Without a Bang, Only with a Sob

Excellent Award at the ST-Future (2021) – the moon