Quad, Questions in Theater: *The Xi'an Flower Car*

On the train heading toward the Yishan Mausoleum in Xi’an, China, Sang-gon is filled with anticipation for the underground palace of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the countless terracotta warriors he is about to encounter. As Sang-gon reflects on Qin Shi Huang—who yearned for eternity within his finite life—and on the things he has “never fully possessed” in his own life, the train arrives in Xi’an before he knows it. A Korean man with a Chinese mother, a man whose love has never been fully reciprocated. Standing before Qin Shi Huang’s desire for immortality, what is Sang-gon’s own desire in life? Having spent his entire life on the “periphery,” Sang-gon now stands before the grandest of narratives and looks at himself. Faced with that immense desire, he finally begins to examine his own story.

〈2026 QUAD, Questions of Theater: The Evolving Text〉 This project focuses on the “text”—the very essence of theater—and explores the present and future of contemporary theater through the power of plays, which are constantly reinterpreted across the ages. Ranging from William Shakespeare to modern plays and contemporary Korean theatrical texts, these five works will be reimagined by five master directors—Kim A-ra, Kim Gwang-bo, Kim Woo-ok, Lee Seong-yeol, and Han Tae-sook—who led the golden age of Korean theater. *Seoan Hwacha* is a play written and directed by Han Tae-suk, which premiered in 2003 at the Jeongmisso Small Theater. At the time of its premiere, it garnered significant critical acclaim, sweeping the Best Play, Best Director, Best Set Design, and Best Acting awards at the Dong-A Theater Awards. *Seoan Hwacha* is one of Han Tae-suk’s most frequently revived works; it was selected as an invited production at the 12th Beseto Theater Festival in 2005, and has consistently drawn the attention of audiences and critics alike through changing times—from the 10th-anniversary commemorative performance by the Muli Theater Company in 2008 to its revival in 2015. Centered on Sang-gon—a “homosexual character” who would have been considered “unconventional” at the time—the play explores human desire and powerfully illustrates the unique power of theater to expand not only time and memory but also space itself without limit.