The musical Rebecca is celebrating its Korean 10th-anniversary performance from August 19th to November 19th. These days, numerous long-standing musical works, including Rebecca, continue to receive love. Yet, within even seemingly perfect musicals, shadows exist. Hence, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) investigated the status of the Korean musical industry, the dark sides, and its future directions.
This Is the Moment... to Talk about Musicals
A musical is a theatrical performance that includes singing, dancing, acting, and dialogue, mainly portraying a single storyline through multiple songs and dialogues. Such a combined form allows musicals to embrace a broad spectrum of genres, from comedy to thrillers, while incorporating diverse music styles, such as classical music, pop, and rock. Musicals are classified into three types based on copyrights: original musicals performed by overseas actors and production teams, licensed musicals imported from overseas but are performed by domestic crews, and domestic original musicals produced and performed by domestic crews. Musicals originated in the early 19th century in Britain and the United States as a form of musical comedy, and they naturally evolved into diverse genres. Korea’s first original musical, Saljagi-opseoye, was held in 1966, increasing public interest in musicals. In the 1990s, the Korean musical market witnessed remarkable growth, primarily driven by the introduction of licensed musicals. Until the present day, the Korean musical market has been growing. According to the 2022 Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS), the musical market achieved its highest sales ever last year by earning ₩ 415 billion.
Do You Hear the Musical-goers Sing?
-The Infamous Casting Culture
First, there are concerns regarding Korean musical companies casting so-called “star actors” with strong fanbases without conducting a proper audition process. In fact, a 2022 survey by the magazine The Musical found that only 58% of the ensemble actors trusted the audition results. The most common response was that auditions are “just a nominal procedure for publicity,” since auditions are primarily used for promotions rather than for identifying talented actors. In an interview with SKT, an anonymous actor, K, stated, “Because of such unfair practices, many actors lose their opportunities to stand on the stage, which leads to audiences being unsatisfied with the performances.” Another problem is the high performance fee paid to star actors during the casting. In a 2018 Korean Society of Culture Industry survey, star actors in large theater musicals received about ₩25 million per performance, while ensemble actors received only ₩150,000. Such a high fee lowers both the pay for ensemble actors and the quality of the work due to the reduction in production costs. According to the previous survey, about 30% of the production cost of large theater musicals was solely used for star actors’ performance fees. As a result of this tilted profit structure, companies raise ticket prices whenever they experience financial difficulties, ultimately burdening the audience.
-Too Much Dependence
Another problem in the Korean musical industry is the excessive dependence on licensed musicals. While most performances in Korea are original Korean musicals, either licensed or original foreign productions occupy the top-grossing productions. According to the 2021 statistics in KOPIS, the licensed and original foreign musicals market accounted for 64% of the total musical market. Although licensed works have already proven their artistry through overseas popularity, they require extremely high costs when performed in Korea, including royalties and labor costs for foreign personnel. All these factors make it difficult to focus on the production itself, which causes a decline in quality. Additionally, since licensed musicals are bound by foreign copyrights, it is difficult to localize them with Korean culture. To solve such problems, there have been discussions to develop enough Korean original musicals; yet, there are difficulties for original musicals to achieve success. This is because investors tend to avoid supporting original musicals as they carry greater commercial risks compared to licensed musicals.
Defying Old Practices
To foster growth in the Korean musical industry, production companies must establish a transparent casting culture, aiming at discovering new talents. Furthermore, companies must solve the performance fee imbalance by relying less on the fame of the cast but focusing on the solid plot and directing. Musical actor K also emphasized, "There is an urgent need for a system that can ensure enough wage for ensemble actors." One alternative, as seen on Broadway, is the implementation of a loyalty cap that prevents any single actor from receiving a large performance fee. Additionally, there must be innovative measures to raise the popularity of Korean original musicals. For instance, one approach could involve using a non-replica format, utilizing the original numbers and scripts while allowing domestic creators to arrange the rest of the directing. This approach has already proven successful, as seen in the case of the musical The Man Who Laughs, which transformed Victor Hugo's novel into a high-quality Korean original musical and won the Best Picture Award at the Korea Musical Awards. By nurturing Korean original musicals, the Korean musical industry will have a brighter future.