Last October, Kookminians of the School of Performing Arts won the Gold Prize at the 5th Musical Festival of Korean College with an original work, An Organ in My Mind. They contended with 31 teams from other schools since April and were chosen as one of the last 8 final teams and then won the prize. The Kookmin Review had a special conversation about this with them, Ko Joon Ki (Senior, School of Performing Arts), Park Jung Kil (Sophomore, School of Performing Arts), Seo Sang Wook (Senior, School of Performing Arts).

Review : First, can you explain about that competition?

Go : It’s a musical competition all colleges of performing art join. In April, 32 teams contended and 8 teams were selected to perform in the Uijeongbu Arts Center. It was launched by The National Theater. We got the second prize. It’s quite a big competition so it could be meaningful for the performers’ careers, and it’s highly competitive.

Review : Did you have any trouble preparing?

Park : We had a casting problem. Actually it needs quite a lot of time to prepare. We couldn’t keep going with the original members. Some members had trouble with their families, and we had to change the hero. Because of this, we almost gave up. There was also no support from the school or the professors, so it must have been hard work for the producer, Seo.

Seo : Yes, you bet. It was really tricky. I visited Samsung and SK Communication to show them my passion but with no result. Most of them did not welcome me. It was sometimes very frustrating for me. I think my team, and my friends kept me standing. I would like to say thanks to the people who helped us.

Go : Also technically, all the students had to stand on their own feet without the help of professionals, theatrical costumes, stage design and everything. We visited Jeongneung Old Market and the Beautiful Store in Student Center and got several items which were suitable for our performance, but I think it could have been another experience for us.

Review : You performed An Organ in My Mind at this time. Did you have any special reason for choosing it?

Go : We actually did this performance in school last year. We did well at that time. We already had practiced it a lot so we thought it would make us more competitive than the others. While others were taking their first step on their performance we were working on making ours more perfect.

Park : I would like to mention the songs. It’s a big part of the musical. The songs were really great. Good songs and fantastic members. I was sure about our success.

Review : I’ve been told you practiced during the whole vacation. I think it’s not easy and there’s no guarantee. What made you guys do that?

Seo : Because we did something we like. These days all the students are busy making their careers. I think we’re lucky to be doing something that’s more fun than others.

Review : Did you have any episodes while preparing for the competition?

Go : The heroine passed the SBS examination for talents while we were still practicing, but she stayed with us until the end. During the day she went to the SBS station and to shoot for dramas, and then came back to the school to practice with us. Even though she got really exhausted because of night shooting she didn’t give up. On the day of our performance, she performed after work for the SBS drama, Style and then finally went to the hospital.

Seo : She was not the only one. We were all exhausted. At that time the H1N1 virus had started to spread and being tired and cold frightened us, but we made it, we made it you know.

Park : Joon Ki also felt the strain but kept it secret since he was the one responsible. He seemed to become the commander Lee Soon Sin, sometimes. “Don’t tell them my situation, keep fighting!” like this. He’s really amazing.

Go : I feel sorry for my team and really appreciated their enthusiasm. I knew it was also a big deal for them.

Review : I heard it’s the first winning of an official competition. Has Kookmin School of Performing Arts some special features?

Park : This school doesn’t give any guarantee for entertainers, so there are no entertainers here. No reason to choose this school with a highly competitive entrance exam. We also study focusing on traditional acting, film works, story values, or something else. People who only depend on appearances and talents can’t pass the entrance exam.

Go : In many cases, other schools say, “You can study in the real field as an actor and even if you are not studying in school, we’ll give you a diploma”, but we don’t have that kind of option. For this reason, classes are more traditional and academic. It might be more harsh for students but I like it. It makes us more professional actors. In the meanwhile, musical performance is the current trend. Recently, we have several classes connected with song and dance.

Review : What’s your plan for the future?

Go : I’ll go to America. I want to study acting more seriously. After studying, you can guess.

Park : I’m just going back to school, you know. I have to study hard.

Seo : We’re preparing for a new performance. The time to practice without thinking has come again. This time, we’re going to work on HAMLET. It’s so famous, you already know the story. Visit us surely. We’re burning on!

Review : I can tell you are so enthusiastic. Congratulations again. Promise me another interview when you are on Broadway.

They didn’t seem to have much time to enjoy their happiness because they are already starting another work. Their enthusiasm makes them look different from other Korean students who are just busy without any spacial aim. Winning the Musical festival could be a Big Win for them. They look tired but they have the look of a kid who’s expecting his next Christmas present. Maybe the next work will make them even closer to each other.

THE KOOKMIN REVIEW No.214