Daegyeong University acting department wins triple crown at two major theater festivals

The acting arts department of Daegyeong University College announced Wednesday it had claimed a triple crown this year, winning the best director award at the Miryang Performing Arts Festival's university theater competition and then taking the bronze prize and best acting award at the Geochang World University Theater Festival.

The production that earned the department its three awards was "If I Were Real," a play by Chinese writers Sa Yelin, Li Shaoqing and Yao Mingde. Jang Hui-jae translated the script, Gu Yun-chae directed, Professor Hwang Tae-seon served as faculty adviser, and Song Seon-mi handled acting coaching.

The play follows a young man named Li Xiaozhuang who, driven by his desire to see theater in the city, impersonates the son of a powerful official. The work satirically exposes social contradictions and human desire through his journey.

The department was recognized for its inventive staging, which used aluminum ladder props to fluidly shift scenes and spaces, creating varied locations and situations through the actors' movements. Judges praised the production's dynamic energy, built around the ensemble work of its cast.

The best director award went to Gu Yun-chae, a second-year student in the department, while the best acting award went to Nam Hyo-rin, also a second-year student, for her portrayal of the young protagonist Li Xiaozhuang.

The Miryang Performing Arts Festival closed July 31. The Geochang World University Theater Festival, which drew 11 universities to its final round — eight domestic and three international — wrapped up with a closing ceremony Wednesday at the Suseungdae Festival Theater in Geochang.

"Traditionally, third- and fourth-year students have represented the department in university theater competitions, so it is especially meaningful that this year's productions at both festivals were led primarily by second-year students," said Kim Geon-pyo, a professor in the department.