2026 연극내일 프로젝트: 원로 배우들이 청년 배우들에게 전하는 연극의 진정한 가치

Theatre is about people — our stories.

Ninety-year-old Shin Goo addressed a group of young actors on April 7 at the Daehangno Arts Theater in Seoul's Jongno district, offering advice and encouragement.

He described theater as a medium for portraying the complexities of human relationships and stressed that those portrayals must be honest. \"If you don't maintain that honesty, it's all for nothing,\" he said, urging the performers to keep striving for strong work.

That day, 30 young actors from the Theatre Tomorrow Project presented key scenes from three new productions — Tandem, The Birth of a Queen, and Firdaus. Each piece was developed through the participants' training, creation, and collaboration. The shows will be staged at Arko Kkumbat Theater from April 24–26, and tickets sold out as soon as they went on sale.

The Theatre Tomorrow Project was launched by veteran actors Shin Goo and Park Geun-hyung, 86. Last March, the two donated proceeds from a special benefit staging of Waiting for Godot to the Arts Council Korea (Arko) to pass their stage experience and know-how to a new generation — creating the Theatre Tomorrow Fund.

With the fund established, the project moved into full operation. After a public call and auditions in early January, organizers selected 30 young actors from 1,000 applicants. The cohort took part in Park Geun-hyung's master class on acting philosophy and stagecraft, then completed director workshops, actor training, and the creation and rehearsal of original pieces before debuting on stage this month.

Park said that after their Waiting for Godot tour with Shin Goo sold out nationwide and received overwhelming support, they felt compelled to act. \"This feels like a small first fruit,\" he said, adding that he hopes Arko will keep the program going rather than let it be a one-off.

The two veterans plan to appear in a July production of The Merchant of Venice so young actors can continue participating in the project — a sign they intend to keep supporting it. A separate audition will select performers from this year's 30 to join Shin Goo and Park on that stage.

After watching the young performers, Shin Goo said it felt like stepping back 60 years. \"I was so flustered during my first performance that I hardly remember how I got through it,\" he said. \"I'm grateful these young artists can now step onto the stage in far better circumstances than we had.\"

Park said the path ahead looks clearer than it did for their generation, which gives him hope. \"But to follow this path, you must accept the hardships of making a living,\" he added, welcoming them to the difficult road ahead.

Young artists said the program helped them grow. Ahn Seung-gyun, who appears in Tandem, said the project taught him that \"no one can do it alone.\" He called the collaborative process — asking questions, clashing, and creating together — a deep source of joy.

Ryu Ji-o, who appears in The Birth of a Queen, said the experience reaffirmed that theater is fundamentally about people.

\"I was reminded that theatre emerges from close contact and collective creation. It was a pleasure to work with peers who share the same dream,\" he said.