진정한 '참교육' 연극으로…'죽은 시인의 사회' / EBS뉴스 2026. 06. 24

https://home.ebs.co.kr/ebsnews/menu2/... [EBS News 12] Overseas original works, well-known as movies and dramas, are successively taking to the domestic stage. "Dead Poets Society," a classic that questioned the true meaning of education, is meeting audiences with its first official licensed production, and the unconventional one-woman play "Fleabag" has also begun its Korean premiere. Reporter Hwang Dae-hoon reports. [Report] Students standing on their desks. "Dead Poets Society," the movie remembered for the famous line "O Captain, My Captain," is returning as a play. Set in a prestigious American boarding school in the 1950s, it tells the story of students, who were pressured solely for entrance exams and success, meeting their English teacher, Keating, and finding the voice of their own lives. Although the original film, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, was widely loved in Korea, this marks the first time it has been produced as an officially licensed stage play. Amidst growing social interest surrounding "true education" recently, the production focuses on the choices of individuals living within the educational system rather than the system itself. Interview: Jo Gwang-hwa / Director "I believe it is more important how a teacher or mentor influences the attitude toward life for someone in the growth stage. Since both the mentor and the person growing are wandering themselves, I think the interaction between the two is what matters more." Cha In-pyo, Oh Man-seok, and Yeon Jung-hoon have been cast in the role of Keating. In particular, Cha In-pyo is taking on his first theatrical stage role in 33 years since his debut. Interview: Cha In-pyo / Role of Keating "Looking back on my life, I realized that what Mr. Keating said back then was right. I realized that life is a drama that each person writes their own story, a process of individual choice, and an effort to break free from the mold." The play *Dead Poets Society*, which encourages the audience to "enjoy the present," will meet audiences starting next month. An actor takes the stage with only a single chair. He pours out a monologue to the audience, a mix of crude jokes and self-loathing. "(I) feel like a woman who is depraved, looks like a man, and has thrown morality to the dogs. I mean, a woman who doesn't even have the right to call herself a feminist." This is *Fleabag*, a one-woman stand-up comedy production. Originating at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the UK and highly acclaimed as a TV drama, the work is now meeting Korean audiences as the world's first licensed production. Fleabag, a 26-year-old woman running a café in London, lives up to the meaning of her name—"full of problems"—by ruining her relationships with her family and lover. Beneath her impulsive behavior and the profanity she spews at an unconventional level, lies the wounds and loneliness stemming from the death of a friend. Interview: Ryu Ju-yeon / Director "I think we can only encounter the real thing when we can reveal the truth of our very deepest inner selves. That is why I believe the charm of this work lies in its honesty." The stage production, featuring three distinct versions tailored to the individual personalities of the cast members, is also impressive. Kim Hee-ra delivers a stand-up comedy-style performance closest to the original work, Kim Kyu-nam presents a stage featuring added chairs, and Kim Ju-yeon creates a distinctive drama by actively utilizing props. Interview: Kim Hee-ra / Role of Fleabag "It is not about saying 'we will get better,' but rather asking if we will look at those mistakes, those wounds, and the self-loathing someone harbors—everything—just as it is..." The play 'Fleabag,' which offers paradoxical comfort by confronting wounds, will be performed at the Doosan Arts Center until September 6. This is Hwang Dae-hoon for EBS News.