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The Darkness in a Wooden Bell, by Lee Man-Hee, portrays a Buddhist monk's inner torment as his inability to escape the attachments of his past renders futile his quest for spiritual enlightenment. Lee Man-Hee is an acclaimed contemporary Korean playwright and winner of numerous literary awards. In the play he draws deeply on his own experience, saying that the play is "the fusion of my ardour for religion and for literature, of my pursuit of the ideal self and my coming to terms with my present self." Wooden Bell, first performed in Korea in 1990, is set in the apparent tranquillity and space of a Korean Buddhist temple, which comes to symbolise the inner conflict of a would-be zealous monk. But that monk's conflict could be our own: the themes of the play are not confined to Korea, Buddhism, temples or monks. Provocative and funny, the play's dramatic, unflinching honesty makes universal its theatrical experience. Whilst sublimely moving within itself, the play transcends its physical setting to touch something deep in the past, or present, of all who see it. No-one will leave unaffected.

Creatives/Company

Author: Lee Man-Hee

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2004 (1 listings)