Ahead of Chuseok, the Korean Cultural Center New York will present the family music show 'Yunie's Magical Adventure' free of charge at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, and at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, at its theater on 32nd Street in Manhattan. The story follows a girl named Yunie who visits her grandmother's house for Chuseok and travels through a world of traditional games with food characters. It is a North American premiere created by MIRI Opera and the New York Classical Players chamber ensemble. The show is recommended for families with children ages 6 to 10, and advance registration is required.
A free show that families can enjoy with children ahead of Chuseok is coming to Manhattan. The Korean Cultural Center New York (Director Kim Cheon-su) will present the family music show 'Yunie's Magical Adventure' three times, at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, and at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, at its theater on 32nd Street in Manhattan. The North American premiere is produced with MIRI Opera and the New York Classical Players.
The story begins with Yunie, a girl who goes to her grandmother's house to celebrate Chuseok. While the adults are busy preparing food for the ancestral memorial rite, a bored Yunie meets food characters who become her friends and take her to a magical world full of traditional Korean music and games. On stage, traditional games such as 'Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed' and 'Ganggangsullae' unfold with audience participation, while Korean children's songs, gugak (traditional Korean music) and Western classical music come together in performances by the chamber ensemble. Animation and media art are also used. The center said it planned the show so that young Korean Americans and local New York families can experience Korean culture and Chuseok together in a natural way.
Recommended for Ages 6–10; Advance Registration Required
Park Seong-seon is the original creator, composer and artistic director; Yang In-yong and Jung Ju-eun wrote the script; and Kim Hye-ran handled character design and animation. Kim Dong-min conducts, and the New York Classical Players, founded in 2010, perform. Actress Sung Ye-na, who holds an MFA from Columbia University, leads the production as the storyteller. MIRI Opera is a creative collective that started as Inter Edu Art in 2010, has operated under its current name since 2017 and has staged more than 200 performances.
Admission is free, but attendees must register in advance for each showing on the center's website (koreanculture.org). The performance is in English and runs about one hour. The center recommends it for families with children ages 6 to 10. The venue is the center's building at 122 E. 32nd St., next to Manhattan's 32nd Street Koreatown, within walking distance of the 33rd St station on the No. 6 subway line or the 34th St–Herald Square station on the B, D, F, M, N, Q, R and W lines. For inquiries, contact Han Hyo, program director for performing arts (hhan@koreanculture.org).
The center will continue its free events in October. On the evening of Oct. 1, it will screen the film 'House of the Seasons,' and on Oct. 9–10 it will present a Korean contemporary dance performance with the Kim Yeong-sun Whitewave Dance Company, which is based in DUMBO, Brooklyn. From Oct. 15 to 25, the first New York Korean Independent Film Festival will take place. All events are free, but advance registration is required.