Catholic theater association presents Tolstoy's 'What Men Live By'

The Seoul Catholic Theater Association and volunteers will present Tolstoy's "What Men Live By." The Dong-A Ilbo met with actor Sim Woo-chang, Moon Ji-young and priest Yoo Hwan-min who sponsors cultural programs. Yoo. a graduate from School of Drama at Korea National University of Arts, became a priest in 1998.

“Semon is drunk and gives Michael his coat and boots. He wanted to ignore him but wasn’t able to ignore the voice in his mind,” said Sim who starred as shoemaker Semon. “Michael finds answers to three questions he got from God while he lives with Semon and his wife,” said Moon who starred as angel Michael.

They would have asked a question to themselves on what actors live by because making a living as an actor is not always easy.

Sim is a veteran actor who was a member of the National Drama Company of Korea from 1973 to 1986 and appeared in TV shows such as “Taejo Wang Geon” and movie “Tazza.” He said his baptismal name was Severo, a German saint, and said he wished the name would bring him a lot of luck.

Moon’s baptismal name is Regina, which means queen. She was a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theatre and performed in Daehangno in the late 1990s, when she had to struggle to make ends meet. She went to a nearby Catholic church and prayed to God. “That was how I got my faith," she said. "A nun recommended Regina for my baptismal name.”

Sim sold chicken skewers in Suwon, Gyeonggi province, when he did not have a stable acting job. A customer recognized him once and asked why he was selling skewers. “The customer remembered my role as a general in a TV show," he said. "I endured with a firm will that I would earn a living without depending on someone else. I struggled for two years, during which I studied bible a lot.”

Moon is working on "Playback Theater" project, a program of the Seoul Catholic Theater Association, where she works with less privileged people to create a play based on their life and let them be actors of the play. She said she liked the phrase “Comfort, comfort my people” in the Bible and she wanted to share love through plays using her talent given by God.

“It is a blessing to work with actors who are both talented and faithful,” said Priest Yoo.


Gab-Sik Kim dunanworld@donga.com