Jury’s Statement

Lee Jaram appeared before us like the completely armed Athena from the head of Zeus in ‘Pansori Brecht ’ in 2007. A Pansori adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s epic theater The Good Person of Sezuan,  was a completely groundbreaking attempt in the sense that it expanded the horizon of Pansori in terms of time and space, and that it harmoniously brought together the narrative element and theatrical element of the epic theater into the form of Pansori. Lee’s exploration of Pansori accurately captured the element of the contemporary age, and also seized the audience with its satire, humor and pathos. Filled with Lee’s charms as a Pansori musician on the stage,  was a lovely performance with a sharp analysis on reality.

The new trajectories and experimentations in Lee’s practice goes back to 2004. For those of us who thought that Pansori was about folding screens, hemp mats and performance in neatly pressed Hanbok,  ?? a witty and satirical play by Lee about the gender equality issue in Korea, performed by figures in jeans and t-shirt on a small theater stage in Daehakro ?? was quite a delightful surprise. Since then, Lee worked as the artistic director of Pansori Project ‘Za’ and received rave reviews from the public and critics alike for creative works like  , , , and . While  and < Ukchuk-ga> are well-known plays by Brecht, ,  and  are based on less known short novels. Lee’s playwriting and composition which reinvent written novels into Pansori rhythm bring us the opportunity to (re)discover the magic in works that we have forgotten or were unknown to us. Discovering and resurrecting a work onto the contemporary stage, Lee’s insight and extraordinary compositional skills are unrivaled. In addition, the outstanding performance and sounds by the musicians of Pansori Project ‘Za’ are essential elements in completing the work of art.

Lee is a talent uncommon in the performing arts world in Korea. While talent might be defined as excellent external expressions, Lee’s talent is authentic in that it’s also filled with internal expressions. Beyond the cultural insight and artistic talent, Lee’s style has her own way of seeing the world, which most talented people do not have. In that sense, Lee’s a proper artist, and a proper Pansori musician who is learned in tradition and fluent in both creativity and expressivity.

Lee made a very accurate observation when she said “We can only be free of our bias on traditional Pansori, when Pansori is recognized as a creative field.” We can only see something clearly when there is something to compare it to. One reason traditional Pansori is not well understood is because it’s not juxtaposed with anything else, and is in some sort of exterritorial status as we’ve never had the opportunity to objectify Pansori in the field of ‘Performing Arts’. Lee’s work brings a new understanding of Pansori. Paving a new path in the performing arts world in Korea, Lee’s a true inspiration for resurrecting Pansori in our age and opening up its infinite possibilities.

_Yijoung Noh, Byeonghun Lee, China Lee