Sammaekyung (三昧境)

A state of complete immersion, where all distractions vanish and the mind is wholly absorbed in a single object.

A traditional narrative infused with fresh sensibility, Ham Se-deok’s A Little Monk returns in a bold new production.

Winner of the Byeoksan Playwriting Award, the Seoul Arts Award, and the Baeksang Arts Awards,

director Lee Cheol-hee stands as a singular force in Korean theater.

Everyone has heard of A Little Monk, but few have truly seen it on stage. Director Lee Cheol-hee breathes bold new life into this familiar classic. In 2025, Ham Se-deok’s iconic play bursts out of the dusty pages of old textbooks and is reborn as Sammaekyung. As traditional sensibility collides with contemporary imagination, unfamiliar sensations emerge from a well-worn narrative.

A maniac of the stage spins into trance, inviting all into the fierce and beautiful depths of Sammaekyung.

In 2025, at Myeongdong Theater, an actor turns up—utterly bound to the stage. At the threshold of the afterlife, he makes up his mind to return to the spotlight one last time. This time, he is determined to lose himself entirely in the character of Do-nyeom himself—the role he last played 34 years ago. The moment he dives into the River of Three Crossings without hesitation, a strange world unfurls, where theater and reality blend into one. There, at last, together with the long-awaited Do-nyeom, he descends into the fierce, uncanny trance of Sammaekyung.

“At last, the curtain rises. As you and I face each other, the play begins.”

Collapsing time and space, the stage holds the fullness of life.

In 1991, at the age of 27, actor Ji Chun-seong played the role of Do-nyeom. Now, 34 years later, he returns to continue the story from where it once paused. Led by the National Theater Company’s seasonal ensemble, thirteen actors conjure time and space using only their bodies—from the vitality of spring to the stillness of winter—rendering the textures of life with remarkable detail. Joining them are master scenographer Lee Tae-seop, lighting legend Kim Chang-ki, and a team of top creatives, poised to deepen the audience’s immersion through refined composition and delicate precision.

SYNOPSIS

An aging actor lingers in a cold, wintry forest. He lives as though trapped in the time and space of a role he performed 34 years ago—a role he considers a failure—mistaking its world for reality. One day, his former self awakens, kills him, and sends him on his way to the afterlife. Yet he still dreams of returning to the past—back to 1991—and strays from the path. At last, he finds himself in the rehearsal room he longed for. But instead of redemption, he feels the weight of failure grow heavier, as once again he cannot fully become the character. In the end, he draws the play into his private, secret space in a final attempt at salvation, but the character begins to speak to him in ways he never expected…

Original Play by Ham Se-deok
Ham Se-deok was born in 1915 in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, and grew up in Incheon. He began his playwriting career in 1936 with the one-act play Sanhuguli – Mountainside, published in Joseon Literature. In 1939, he gained critical acclaim when his play A Little Monk won a prize at the 2nd Theater Competition hosted by the Dong-A Ilbo. In the final years of Japanese colonial rule, he wrote a number of pro-Japanese plays. Following Korea’s liberation, he became a prominent playwright of the era through his involvement with the Joseon Theater Alliance. He later defected to North Korea and died during the Korean War in 1950 at the age of 35. Over his decade-long career, he wrote and adapted 24 plays of varying lengths.
 
Major Works
Sanhuguli-Mountainside, A Little Monk, March 1, 1919, The Withered Tree, Travels in Muuido, The Taebaek Mountains

Adapted & Directed by Lee Cheol-hee
Lee Cheol-hee, Artistic Director of the theater company Cornerstone, made his debut as a playwright with his play Jochiwon Hae-mun (2014), which earned critical acclaim by winning the Grand Prize at the 4th Byeoksan Playwriting Award. Since then, he has continued writing, directing, and leading Cornerstone. Lee’s distinctive theatrical style occupies a unique position in the Korean theater scene. Quintessentially playful yet deeply attuned to Korean sensibilities, his work captures the tragicomic essence of contemporary society, striking a chord with diverse audiences.

Major Works
Maeng, Chu Cheon-seok Living in Jincheon, That Yut Game, Unpossible, Impossible, Jochiwon, Where Birds Arrive, Apocrypha, Jochiwon Hae-mun, Dakquus

Awards
2024 Baeksang Arts Awards, Young Theater Artist Award (Maeng)
2024 Best 7 Performances, The Korean Theatre Review (Chu Cheon-seok Living in Jincheon)
2024 K-Theater Awards, Grand Prize (Chu Cheon-seok Living in Jincheon)
2023 Today’s Young Artist Award, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
2023 1st Seoul Arts Awards, Best Theater Production (Maeng)
2014 4th Byeoksan Playwriting Award, Grand Prize (Jochiwon Hae-mun)