National Theater Company of Korea launches 2025 citizen-script-reading academy with lottery selection in Seoul.
The National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) is launching the 2025 edition of its citizen-script-reading academy, titled “Myeongdong: Reading Connects.” Applications are open through March 26 and will be drawn by lottery. The program carries a participation fee of 50,000 won.
Described as a participatory arts project, the academy aims to narrow the psychological distance between the public and the theater and to broaden the theater’s role as a cultural platform. The 10-week course will begin on April 14 and will culminate in a public reading in the rehearsal space of the Myeongdong Art Theater in Seoul during the final week.
Last year’s inaugural edition drew 354 applicants for 45 available spots, a competition rate of about 7.9 to 1. Participants explored how to “revive” characters from literature in their own voices and reported deep personal reflections on the process.
Mentors for the program include former NTCK season company members Lee Sang-eun and Moon Yeju, along with An Byung-sik, a founding member of a theater troupe. They will guide participants in script analysis, breathing and voice training, and on-scene practice.
Park Jung-hee, the NTCK’s director and artistic director, said the program offers more than reading a script: it invites participants to bring a work to life in a rehearsal space and to experience a sense of artistic release, while reviving energy at the Myeongdong Art Theater.
Applicants submit through a Google Form linked on the NTCK website’s notices page; selections are lottery-based, and the program requires a 50,000 won participation fee.
The program reflects Korea’s broader approach to arts accessibility, audience development, and talent cultivation within a state-supported framework. For U.S. readers, it illustrates how South Korea is investing in civic engagement with the arts, potentially supporting future cross-cultural exchanges, translations, and collaborations in theater as Korea’s cultural industries continue to grow and interact with global markets.