Orange Polar Bear - a cross-cultural performance piece for teenagers in Seoul and Birmingham

Peter Wynne-Willson

Orange Polar Bear (2014-19) is an innovative bilingual theatre project created by Hanyong Theatre, the National Theatre Company of Korea and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. The main research aims were to develop a methodology for devising and presenting bilingual work in a way that maintains equality between collaborative partners, and, by focusing on the experience of teenagers in Seoul and Birmingham, to consider what young people can teach adults about bridging cross-cultural and language divisions. The research resulted in a novel methodology for devising bilingual theatre leading to a cross-cultural performance for young people in two languages, presented in the same form in South Korea and the UK. It was unique among Anglo-Korean collaborations for its focus on the experience of teenagers, and conscious balance of languages, cultures and practices. Additionally, the research demonstrates the value of adopting a child-led approach to creating cross-cultural theatre and has created new insights into long-term approaches to developing fair and equal cross-cultural partnerships.

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Videos from the early stages of research for Orange Polar Bear

Compilation Video of the early stages of the Devising Process for Orange Polar Bear. Workshops in Seoul and Birmingham, exchanges between the two groups, coming together in Seoul in Summer 2014, and devising together the first performance - Jiyoung and William.

Images of UK Intensive Workshop with Teenagers

Exchange of Ideas to and from Korea

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