Quad, Questions in Theater: *Flames*

Jeanne and Simon, twin siblings who have remained silent for the past five years, are thrown into great confusion upon reading the will of their late mother, Nawal. The will instructs them to find their father—whom they believed to be dead—and a brother whose very existence they were unaware of, and to deliver the letters she left behind. Furthermore, the will contained a request to bury her without a coffin or headstone. The siblings set out to follow their mother’s trail, gradually drawing closer to her past, which had been shrouded in mystery. And at the end of that journey, they confront the shocking truth behind their mother’s silence.

〈2026 QUAD, Questions of Theater: Evolving Texts〉 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. From William Shakespeare to modern plays and contemporary Korean theatrical texts, these five works will be reimagined and re-evolved through the vision of five master directors—Kim A-ra, Kim Kwang-bo, Kim Woo-ok, Lee Seong-yeol, and Han Tae-sook—who led the golden age of Korean theater. 〈Flames〉 〈Flames〉 depicts the journey of twin siblings as they search for the truth amidst a history of war and massacre. In the process, it exposes the recurring structures of hatred and focuses on “love as will” as the force capable of breaking these cycles. This production, which masterfully reimagines the Greek tragedy *Oedipus* as a modern myth, compels contemporary audiences to confront violence and responsibility, broadening their perspective beyond individual tragedy to the issue of human dignity.