A wave of Korean original performances will take the stage at the Avignon Festival, one of the world's leading performing arts events. This year, Korean has been selected as the official featured language for the first time among Asian countries, with Korean-language performances and traditional works set to color Avignon throughout July.
The Korea Arts Management Service announced at a press briefing on the 21st that Korean works will account for approximately 20% of the entire program at this year's Avignon Festival, which marks its 80th edition. The festival will run from July 4 to 25 across the French city of Avignon. In connection with the event, the Korea Arts Management Service signed a partnership agreement with the Avignon Festival in July last year and has supported Korean participation programs together with the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF). Since 2023, the festival has operated programs that spotlight cultures of specific language regions, selecting Korean this year following English, Spanish and Arabic. The selection draws particular attention as it is the first time an Asian language has been chosen. It also marks the first time in 28 years that Korean works have been invited to the official program in such large numbers, since "Asian Aspirations" in 1998.
The Avignon Festival is considered one of the world's three major performing arts festivals, alongside the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival, and Canada's Stratford Festival. Performances are staged throughout the city, centered on the Papal Palace built during the 14th-century "Avignon Papacy." The entire city is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Cour d'Honneur inside the Papal Palace serves as a symbolic stage for world-class masters.
In a video message at the briefing, Tiago Rodrigues, artistic director of the Avignon Festival, explained the background of the invitation, saying, "Over the past three years, I visited Seoul and several other Korean cities and was deeply impressed by the richness and intense energy of Korean performing arts." He added, "Korean performing arts demonstrate a constant dialogue between tradition and innovation, past and present, and I wanted to introduce them to contemporary global audiences." On the reason for choosing Korean as the featured language, he said, "It is a language that is highly attractive and arouses curiosity among the younger generation worldwide, and it possesses both historical depth and dynamic contemporaneity."
A total of nine works by seven Korean groups will meet local audiences at the festival. One of the most anticipated works is "We Do Not Part – Bird," a reading performance based on the original novel by Han Kang. Co-produced by the Avignon Festival and SPAF, the production features Han Kang, French actress Isabelle Huppert and Korean actress Lee Hye-young.
Choi Seok-kyu, artistic director of SPAF, introduced the work, saying, "It is centered on reading but combines various directorial elements such as music and video," and added, "We are still closely collaborating with the Avignon side to complete the work." The piece will also be presented at the Seoul Performing Arts Festival in October. A special talk program with Han Kang has also been arranged, which will illuminate her literary world through a conversation with French journalist and writer Laure Adler.
Pansori artist Lee Jaram will also take the stage at the Avignon Opera House. Her performance "Snow, Snow, Snow" is a pansori work reimagined from Tolstoy's short story "Master and Man." "When I previously participated in the Avignon Off Festival, I wondered, 'Could I one day stand on this main stage?' Now that I am performing on the official stage, I am happier than I can believe," Lee said. "What is most meaningful is participating in such a world-class festival with original pansori."
Works by Koo Ja-ha, the first Asian recipient of the International Ibsen Award – often called the "Nobel Prize of theater" – will also be presented. From her signature "Hamartia Trilogy," "Cuckoo" and "The History of Korean Theater," along with "Haribo Kimchi," will meet audiences. These works were introduced at the Seoul Performing Arts Festival in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
Other works on stage include the audience-participation performance "Mulzil," "Island Story," which deals with the Jeju April 3 Incident, "1℃," a sensory portrayal of the climate crisis, and "Gin: Yeonhui Deconstruction Project I," which combines traditional Korean performing arts with contemporary dance.
The Korea Arts Management Service is also using the festival as an opportunity to expand the global distribution and cooperation base for Korean performing arts. During the festival, it will host "K-Stage Rendezvous" (working title) at the Cloître Saint-Louis, the festival's main venue, running an international networking program involving about 50 venue programmers, critics and producers from around the world. Through this, the agency plans to explore co-production opportunities with Korean artists and possibilities for overseas distribution.
"Participation in this Avignon Festival is an occasion that demonstrates the international status of Korean performing arts," said Kim Jang-ho, CEO of the Korea Arts Management Service. "Beyond a one-time introduction, we will expand a sustainable cooperation foundation that leads to co-production, distribution and talent exchange."
