Daehak-ro, Seoul, South Korea

I had a few hours before the performance, so I wandered around Daehak-ro, exploring the lively streets lined with many small theaters, cafés, and restaurants.

Daehak-ro developed into Seoul’s main theater district beginning in the 1980s, when many small theater companies moved into the area. Its location near several universities attracted young audiences, and over time, dozens of small theaters opened along the surrounding streets. Today, Daehak-ro remains one of Seoul’s best-known areas for plays, musicals, and other live performances.

Daehak-ro is also known as a place where many aspiring actors begin their careers. Young performers often gain experience in the district’s small theaters, appearing in plays and musicals before moving on to larger productions, television, or film. For many Korean actors, performing on a small Daehak-ro stage is an important first step in their career.

Because many of Daehak-ro’s productions are performed in small theaters by young or up-and-coming actors, ticket prices tend to be more affordable than those for large-scale musicals and performances elsewhere in Seoul. This makes it a great place to enjoy live theater at a reasonable price while also discovering new performers.

At the heart of Daehak-ro is Marronnier Park, a small public park surrounded by theaters and cultural venues. Named after its marronnier (horse chestnut) trees, the park has long been a popular gathering place for young people, street performers, artists, and theatergoers, adding to Daehak-ro’s lively artistic atmosphere.

After spending a few hours wandering around Daehak-ro and exploring its many small theaters, I finally headed toward the theater where my musical was about to begin.

This is the small theater where I came to see the Korean musical Fan Letter. It was one of the many intimate productions performed in Daehak-ro’s theater district.

Fan Letter is actually a fairly significant original Korean musical, so a little background would be useful in your blog. It premiered in 2016 and became a successful recurring production. It is set in 1930s Gyeongseong (Seoul during the Japanese colonial period) and was inspired by the literary circle Guinhoe (Circle of Nine) and writers such as Yi Sang and Kim Yu-jeong.

The story follows an aspiring young writer, Se-hun, who writes letters to a novelist he admires using the name Hikaru. What begins as correspondence gradually develops into a complicated story involving literature, love, deception, identity, and artistic inspiration.

Starting actors

During the intermission, I stepped out of the theater for a short break before returning for the second half of the musical.

After the show ended, the cast performed a short scene again and allowed the audience to take photos and videos, which had not been permitted during the actual performance.