The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism announced on the 8th that it has selected thirty-two regional performing arts organizations to participate in this year’s “Regional Representative Arts Group Support Program.” The selected groups include eleven theater groups, nine traditional arts groups, eight classical and music groups, and four dance groups.
Regionally, nine groups are from the Jeolla and Jeju areas, eight from the Gyeongsang area, seven from the Chungcheong area, five from the Gyeonggi and Incheon areas, and three from the Gangwon area. In line with the program’s goal of supporting outstanding performance arts organizations based in regions, groups located in Seoul are excluded.
Among the selected organizations, the Daejeon Citizens Choir and the Andong City Performing Arts Group are newly established public arts organizations through this project. The Daejeon Citizens Choir aims to provide various stage experience opportunities for young artists residing in Daejeon, while the Andong City Performing Arts Group plans to produce audience-participatory performances with novel themes.
Other groups supported include Youngwol HJ from Youngwol-gun in Gangwon, Woongjin Cultural Association from Taean-gun in Chungnam, and Kim Hwasook & Modern Dance Company Sapo from Namwon-si in Jeonbuk.
The Ministry will invest 19.4 billion KRW to support the creation and production of their works and will also provide subsequent support for performance reviews and promotions. Lee Jung-woo, Director of the Cultural and Artistic Policy Office of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, stated, “We will support regional performing arts organizations so that they can invigorate the local art scene and have a positive impact on the regional economy.”