Wanted to know the behind story of Korea’s #1 theatre act? Wait no more because we at SeoullySG had the opportunity to interview the casts and producer – Mr Seung-Whan Song – of NANTA (Cookin’)! Only 2 more weeks to the highly anticipated show so read on to find out more now:
Q: It’s been a long while since the shows were conceptualised – what was the inspiration behind the shows?
A: I wanted to connect people from all over the world and let them have a peek into the Korean culture. As Korean was not easily understood by people outside of Korea, I decided to use rhythm, beats and tunes to tell the story instead and thus, NANTA was born.
Also, I felt that Korean tradition is best showcased through a wedding. We hope that NANTA will bring our audiences fun, laughter and joy to brighten up their day.
Q: What were some challenges coming up with the show itself?
A: There aren’t much difficulties coming up with the show itself – it is the training period that is the most difficult. All NANTA actors have to go through an immense amount of training process for at least six months. When the training period is over and we get to go up on stage for the first time; that is the moment that all our efforts and difficulties pay off.
Q: How do the cast maintain their energy for each show?
A: As said earlier, all cast members have to go through at least six months of intense training before they are chosen to perform on stage. They train 12 hours every day from 10am to 10pm for the six months.
The 12-hour trainings are divided into two parts where the first 6 hours consist of acting (Drama class) and the second 6 hours consist of practicing rhythm and beats.
Some actors even practice more than the official 12 hours to master the skills. The constant training and practice coupled with passion helps the cast cope with the physical aspect of the show.
Q: What are some unexpected challenges that they faced bringing the show abroad?
A: As NANTA broke down the highest obstacle, which is the language barrier, there weren’t much challenges that we had to face. However, due to some cultural differences among countries, we may have to take out or slightly change some scenes to fit the needs of each show.
Q: What are the differences between the local (Korean) and the international audience? Any memorable shows that they had overseas or in Singapore in the past?
A: Each set of audience is equally unique to us. We will always remember an energetic and cheerful audience, and thus, it is actually the audience that has the power to make each show memorable.
We have always enjoyed performing in Singapore! We love the crowd here as they are very warm and welcoming. We will do our best and we hope to make many happy memories with our audience here in Singapore.
One of our most memorable shows would definitely be our international debut at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1999 where we received an award for having the best performance! That award really motivated us to continue striving for the best possible performance for our audience to enjoy.
Haven’t got your tickets to NANTA (Cookin’)? Get your tickets to a fun filled experience with the cast of NANTA – Manager (Tae Wan Kim), Head Chef (Chang Hwan Ko), Hot Sauce (Hye Jun Yun), Sexy Guy (Ho Yeoul Sul) and Nephew (Dong Hoon Nam) – at Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore from 3-5 June 2016. For more information, please visit http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/nanta0616.
Lastly, big thank you to Red Spade Entertainment & PressKit for making this interview possible!