South Korean actor Lee Hye-young and French actor Isabelle Huppert are bringing the bilingual stage reading of Oiseau to the Seoul International Performing Arts Festival (SPAF).
Bringing Oiseau to Seoul After Avignon Premiere
The upcoming performances follow the world premiere of Oiseau at the Avignon Festival in France on July 15, 2024, held at the Honor Court of the Popes’ Palace, according to Yonhap News. Adapted from Han Kang’s novel We Do Not Part (published as 작별하지 않는다 in Korean), the production is directed by French director Julie Deliquet. The piece stages the novel’s first section, titled “Bird.”
During a press conference held at the Daehangno Arts Theater on October 15, Lee Hye-young shared her expectations for the domestic run. “There will definitely be differences compared to performing in front of foreign audiences,” Lee said, according to SPAF. Because Lee performs her role as In-sun in Korean while Huppert performs her role as Gyeong-ha in French, audience members connect with the narrative at different emotional depths depending on their native language.
Unpacking the Tragedy of Jeju 4.3 Through Friendship
The narrative begins when In-sun, living in Jeju, sends a message to her long-time friend Gyeong-ha on a winter morning, asking her to care for a small white budgerigar left alone at home while In-sun is hospitalized. Gyeong-ha travels to Jeju through heavy snow, and the journey to tend to the bird unfolds into an encounter with the historical tragedy of the Jeju April 3 uprising through the memories of In-sun’s family.
Lee explained that because the production focuses exclusively on the first chapter of the novel, it contains fewer explicit historical scenes. Instead, the work highlights the friendship between the two friends and the vulnerability of human characters.
“I remember practicing in a small space during our first rehearsal, acting out the scene where In-sun and Gyeong-ha share past memories,” Lee said, according to SPAF. “The two of them lie down and quietly talk about foods they used to share, running away from home, and the emotional scars inflicted by their mothers. When we acted this out, emotions surged so intensely that even the staff members watching were moved to tears.”
Collaborating with Isabelle Huppert on Stage
The production marks a reunion for Lee and Huppert, who previously collaborated on the 2024 film A Traveler’s Needs directed by Hong Sang-soo. Lee praised Huppert’s collaborative approach during rehearsals.
“My first impression of Isabelle was simply that she is cool,” Lee noted, as reported by SPAF. “When we worked on the film, she arrived with just a single trunk and no manager. Before our Avignon rehearsals, she reportedly read the script only once. Yet over three days of local rehearsals, her performance improved remarkably. Watching her make detailed requests to the staff so she could clearly follow the Korean dialogue via prompters was impressive. While I tend to think I need to manage everything myself, she truly knows how to work collaboratively.”
At the Avignon premiere, author Han Kang appeared in the final part of the production to read a passage. According to SPAF, it has not yet been decided who will handle the reading for the Seoul engagement.
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