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Doosan Art Center opens to the public on October 1.
Doosan Art Center, formerly known as Yonkang Hall, has undergone large-scale expansion and remodeling over the past six months at a cost of 25 billion won, and is now open to the public. Doosan Art Center consists of Yonkang Hall, a musical theatre with a main stage seating capacity of 620 (increased from 400), Space 111, a small theatre dedicated to diverse purposes with a seating capacity of 230, and Doosan Gallery, which has 227㎡ available as an exhibition space. The center, which is now poised to serve as a complex cultural space, will celebrate its 111th anniversary this year. Doosan carried out this massive remodeling project as part of its bid to firmly establish and conduct its Mecenat activities.

Yonkang Hall, dedicated to musical performances
Yonkang Hall has received a thorough facelift thanks to the remodeling. The theatre is expected to meet the increasing domestic demand for performances at medium-sized theatres. The hall, which is dedicated to musical performances, is equipped with cutting-edge acoustic systems, lighting systems, stage, and seating, emulating the features of a large theatre. 14 years ago, when the medium-sized theatre concept did not exist and such performance halls scarcely existed in Korea, the former Yonkang Hall was erected in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Doosan Group, and has since staged myriad works including musicals, concerts, dramas, dances, traditional Korean song performances, and film festivals, thereby quenching the public’s thirst for cultural activities. Notably, the old Yonkang Hall introduced premium culture to the populace, staging a wide range of small- and medium-sized musicals.

With a shortage of medium-sized theaters dedicated to musical performances, the remodeled Yonkang Hall is extremely valuable to the ever increasing demand for medium-scale musicals. In particular, the second half of 2007 will see the construction and reconstruction of various performance halls, an initiative led by the Doosan Art Center’s efforts to upgrade Yonkang Hall. Given that the Charlotte Theatre is the country’s first musical hall, Yonkang Hall has officially become the country’s second theatre exclusively dedicated to musicals, presaging the many exclusive musical theatres to be established. Many old performance halls are undergoing a facelift, and a string of new performance halls and musical theatres are being built, ushering in a new era of performance halls.

Yonkang Hall, as an exclusive musical theater, is equipped with cutting-edge systems, making it ideal for musical performances. The floor of the stage can be opened, providing greater flexibility when staging musicals. Furthermore, it is equipped with Korea’s largest moving lights, and surround systems that enable ideal acoustic design. Audiences will be able to hear the same quality of live music and have a good view of the performances from any part of the seating. Yonkang Hall is set to present good musicals that are suitable to a medium-sized theatre. It plans to stage new musicals composed of about ten actors and actresses with the support of meticulous, creative directing and simple stage sets, which is a concept as opposed to classical themes, spectacular stages, and traditional musical styles. Musicals that appeal to the audience and are suitable to modern trends and a medium-sized theatre will be presented.

Space 111, an art incubating space for the exploration of young artists and potential contents
Doosan Art Center, which is championing an arts incubator, aims to explore young artists working in diverse genres including, primarily, musicals and performances, as well as fine art, music, dance, and potential new works. Doosan Art Center will introduce potential artists to the public, support their overseas advancement, and introduce internationally-renowned artists and contents to Korean audiences. The center will likewise forge alliances with leading overseas art centers to exchange programs, thereby establishing itself as an incubating space that meets the needs of artists and audiences. The center will also implement a seasonal system designed to stage outstanding works through sufficient prior programming. One season will span a year, beginning in autumn.

Space 111, a small theater, will present stage plays, dances, concerts, musicals and other genres. Championed by Doosan Art Center, It is geared toward establishing itself as a dynamic and vibrant art incubating space. It will stage specially planned performances on the whole, as well as works produced either jointly or on their own, thereby differentiating itself from the small theatres on Daehangno Street that are mainly available by rental. The stage and seating area have been designed in such a way that their structures can be altered flexibly to allow performances of diverse genres, lending great freedom in terms of style and content to the theater and creating an experimental space.

Doosan Gallery, an open space that sees eye to eye with the public
Doosan Gallery, which covers 227㎡, is open to the public free of charge. The gallery will support and foster young artists of outstanding potential, and introduce to the public the kind of work they rarely have the opportunity to experience, including the works of leading artists and modern art from Eastern Europe, South Africa and the Middle East. Furthermore, the gallery will showcase diverse contents in conjunction with overseas galleries and arts museums. Notably, the gallery will serve the public good through its advanced childcare facilities, the offering of Christmas trees, the decorating of children’s hospital wards, and other fine arts projects. Doosan Gallery is open to everyone - experts, fans of the arts, and ordinary people.

Doosan Art Center is set to operate diverse docent programs for the public including children, youth, and company workers. The center will provide arts experience programs for youth, lectures on the arts for housewives, encounters with artists, the production of musicals for company workers, lectures on investment in artistic works, and other interesting programs, allowing everyone to experience culture and the arts easily.

Meanwhile, Doosan Art Center will be equipped with automatic ticketing systems like those installed at movie houses for enhanced convenience, and an infants’ room for family visitors. It will also be equipped with a facility to allow disabled people to directly access the performance hall from the 3rd floor underground, as well as many restrooms, cafeteria Lante, and other convenience amenities. The center also offers a number of attractive ticket offers: a discount on single tickets will be offered to cater to the growing number to “gloomy people” who enjoy activities alone; a youth ticket system will be introduced for young adults with a view to enabling them to enjoy performance culture as well as increasing the occupancy of single seats; and a cross-ticket system will be introduced, providing discounts on other performance programs within Doosan Art Center.

(Doosan Art Center: http://www.doosanartcenter.com)