French play 'Lacrima' to make Korea premiere in Seongnam

The Seongnam Cultural Foundation will bring "Lacrima," a production by the Théâtre national de Strasbourg (TnS) of France, to Korean audiences for the first time, staging the work at the Seongnam Arts Center Opera House on Oct. 2 and 3 to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and France.

Since its world premiere in 2024, "Lacrima" has drawn widespread acclaim at major venues including the Avignon Festival, the Odéon Theatre in Paris and the Barbican Centre in London.

The production explores the grueling labor hidden behind the glamorous fashion industry, the contradictions of global capitalism and the resilience and craftsmanship of those who endure its pressures. Caroline Guiela Nguyen, artistic director of the TnS and the play's writer and director, combines documentary realism with cinematic technique to create a deeply immersive theatrical experience that signals a new sensibility in contemporary theater. Following a stop in Singapore in May, the production will make its Korea premiere in Seongnam in October before continuing a tour to Istanbul, Taipei and other major Asian cities.

The glamour and brutal reality behind a single wedding gown

"Lacrima" examines the labor and global production structures behind the haute couture industry through a fictional commission: a British princess's wedding dress. A prestigious Parisian couture house receives the royal order, and to complete it, the fashion house collaborates — under strict secrecy — with a lace atelier in Alençon, France, and an embroidery workshop in Mumbai, India. Tight deadlines, long working hours, confidentiality contracts and the unequal relationship between the brand and its subcontractors push the workers to their physical and psychological limits.

The work juxtaposes the radiant beauty of the finished dress with the suffering of those who make it, laying bare the contradictions of hard labor and global capitalism. The title "Lacrima" means "tear" in Latin. By overlaying the pearls embroidered on the gown with the tears of the workers, the production turns its gaze toward the invisible hands behind the glamour while also honoring the resilience and craftsmanship of those who carry on their work.

Stories of the nameless, across time and space

The performance uses an intricate blend of live staging and video to bring three workplaces — Paris, Alençon and Mumbai — into a single space. A triptych screen on stage intercuts scenes from different locations and time zones, visually mapping a global production chain that runs without pause across 24 hours. French, English and Tamil weave together in rapid succession, heightening the tension throughout.

Guiela Nguyen has drawn international attention for her work translating the lives of individuals caught within migration, memory and social systems into collective narratives. Her approach is defined by extensive research, a blending of real experience and fiction, and the interweaving of video and stage with characters from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. She first gained international recognition with "SAIGON" at the 2017 Avignon Festival and has served as artistic director of the TnS and its theater school since 2023. In "Lacrima," she again shifts focus away from the princess who will wear the dress and toward the unnamed artisans and workers who make it, asking what labor means and what beauty conceals.