The Third War

Park Bonn, National Asian Culture Center

  • A scene from <The Third War>. On a stage bathed in red, a singer in a wide-brimmed red hat and a long silver-grey dress sings with both arms spread wide. Behind her, chorus members in matching silver-grey dresses stand in rows and sing together.
  • A scene from <The Third War>. Large props that look cut from paper stand on a black stage: a red dragon at the left, a green helicopter and tank at the centre, and a grey robot and fighter-jet shape at the right. On a tall rock at the centre, a figure in black stands with both arms outstretched.
  • A scene from <The Third War>. In front of a large backdrop painted in red and black, a figure in black bows their head while wearing a large headdress woven from wire.
  • A scene from <The Third War>. On a dark stage lit in blue, a figure in grey clothing and a grey mask raises one arm with a finger pointing upward. A grey bundle tied from cloth rests at their feet.
  • A scene from <The Third War>. On a dark stage, a figure in a grey jacket and a pale mask with cut-out eyes stands in profile. Behind them, figures carrying red lights stand dimly in the darkness.

ⓒ ACC The Third War, Courtesy of National Asian Culture Center

  • Director Park Bonn
  • Production ACC
  • Genre Opera
  • Date 10.16.Fri 7:30pm 10.17.Sat 3pm
  • Accessibility English Subtitles
  • Rating 13 and over
  • Venue Arko Arts Theater Grand Hall
  • Duration 140 min.
  • Premiere 2026 ACC, Gwangju
  • Tickets R 60,000 won S 40,000 won

 

An operatic theater piece that senses the fractures of our world today through fragments of truth, set in a fictional realm where magic and science coexist.

Introduction

<The Third War> is set in an imagined world where magic exists, as three nations descend into war. Amid anxieties and narratives fanned by the media, a long era of peace begins to unravel, and the boundary between truth and falsehood grows ever more blurred.

Although the work speaks of war, it does not reenact one. What unfolds on stage is not a realistic depiction of violence but the images, sensations, and narratives that surround war. Through a mysterious landscape that blends theater, music, song, dance, and choral performance, <The Third War> dissolves the boundary between opera and drama, proposing new possibilities of genre.

We often speak of war without ever fully knowing it. What we know of it may be no more than fragments assembled through history, news media, images, and narratives. On a stage where multiple perspectives intersect, audiences are invited to encounter the war they thought they knew in an entirely different way.

Set in an age where invisible conflicts and fissures have become part of everyday life, the performance poses anew the question of what we call ‘war’. As audiences embark on a journey alongside characters living in a fictional world, they will be encouraged to reflect on their own perceptions and choices, and to look at today’s reality in a new light.

The first co-production between the National Asian Culture Center (ACC) and Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF), <The Third War> premieres in its full production in 2026 after two years of research and work-in-progress presentations. Park Bonn, the first artist selected for this collaboration, is a playwright and director who has explored the sensibilities and questions of our time through a distinctive theatrical language and philosophical reflection.

Director
Portrait of director Park Bonn. Indoors, wearing a black T-shirt, he stands in front of a light blue column facing the camera, holding a purple spiral-shaped sculpture in both hands.

Park Bonn

A German-Korean playwright and director born in West Berlin in 1987, Park Bonn has drawn attention for creating theatrical works that combine immersive worlds, original aesthetics, powerful narratives, and musical elements. Through close collaboration with composer Ben Roessler, he has developed a bold theatrical language that integrates large orchestras, choirs, and dance. A hallmark of his work is a wide musical spectrum without borders—from opera to K-pop, Serbian folk traditions, Baroque music, and Catholic music—woven densely into the fabric of each piece.

His works have been staged at major venues across Europe and Asia, including Volksbühne Berlin, Hamburger Schauspielhaus, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Volkstheater München, Theater Basel, and the National Theater Company of Korea, in continual dialogue with contemporary audiences. His plays have been translated into more than ten languages and nominated for leading international theater awards. In 2023, he received the Anna Seghers Prize in recognition of the artistic achievement of his body of work.

His major works include <The Sorrows of Young Super Mario in 2D> (Innovation Prize, Heidelberg Theatre Festival), <Sadness and Melancholy or the Most Lonely George of All Time> (Else Lasker-Schüler Dramatist Prize), <The Rumbling of the Milky Way> (Grand Prize for Drama, Berlin Theater Festival), and <Three Billion Sisters> (Friedrich Luft Prize).

Production

ACC

The ACC Theater is a leading platform for the creation and exchange of Asian performing arts, producing experimental works grounded in contemporary discourse across Asia. With its distinctive performance environment, it expands formal innovation and transforms diverse sensibilities and issues of our time into theatrical experience. Through this work, the ACC Theater discovers stories that resonate across generations and cultures, and presents original productions that engage audiences around the world.

Credits
  • Produced byKorea Arts Management Service, Seoul Performing Arts Festival, National Asian Culture Center
  • Scriptwriter / DirectorPARK Bonn
  • ConductorKIM Sungjin
  • ComposerBen ROESSLER
  • OrchestraEnsemble Blank
  • Dramaturg / TranslationLEE Danbi
  • ChorusNOI Opera Chorus
  • Stage DesignDaniela ZORROZUA
  • Music CoachKIM Sungmi
  • Costume DesignJulia NUSSBAUMER
  • Technical DirectorKIM Jimmy
  • ChoreographyRebeka MONDOVICS
  • Assistant Stage ManagerKIM Eunbi
  • Assistant Director / InterpreterHYUN Rhim
  • Lighting DesignSON Minyoung
  • Costume Props / Makeup DesignKIM Jonghan
  • Sound DesignerNA Inkwon (ACC)
  • Costume DirectorKANG Ki-jeong
  • ProducerYANG Suyon, YANG Hajeong (ACC)
  • Project ManagerCHOI Jaehee
  • Opera SingersSoprano IM Sunhae, Mezzo Soprano KIM Haeun, Tenor KIM Hyojong, Bass Baritone JEON Taehyun
  • ActorsKANG Aesim, Anupam TRIPATHI, PARK Soyeon, Widana, LEE Songa, LEE Sejun, CHOI Aryeon
  • DancersSEONG Seungjung, PARK Sunhwa
ACC

The ACC Theater is a leading platform for the creation and exchange of Asian performing arts, producing experimental works grounded in contemporary discourse across Asia. With its distinctive performance environment, it expands formal innovation and transforms diverse sensibilities and issues of our time into theatrical experience. Through this work, the ACC Theater discovers stories that resonate across generations and cultures, and presents original productions that engage audiences around the world.