The performance industry revived with the start of ‘With Corona’

Yugyeong Jeong

As the phased recovery of daily life (With Corona) started in November, the stagnant performance industry is also reviving. The restrictions on operating hours of multi-use facilities were relaxed, and cultural consumption discount support was resumed in seven areas including performances, exhibitions, and movies. In October, concert sales exceeded 30 billion won for the first time in a year and nine months. Ahead of the end of the year, blockbuster performances will be held one after another, and performance sales are expected to continue to rise. In the case of musicals, ‘Billy Elliot’ and ‘Jekyll and Hyde’, as well as ‘Rebecca’ and ‘Frankenstein’ are about to perform. In January next year, the international tour of the musical ‘The Lion King’ will open in Seoul for the first time in three years. Since last September, popular music concerts have also reflected the With Corona atmosphere, and ticket sales increased. In the case of concerts, the sales amount was negative due to repeated reservations and cancellations just a year ago. Tickets for concerts held in November were sold a lot from September, and tickets for concerts held in December were mostly sold out in October and November.

The Gapyeong Jarasum Jazz Festival, which held an online performance last year due to COVID-19, was held on the 5th in accordance with the With Corona policy of the quarantine authorities. This is the first large-scale outdoor performance held after the implementation of the With Corona as the ‘vaccine pass’ was applied. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism approved the outdoor stage performances from the 5th to the 7th, subject to a daily limit of 2,000 visitors. The total number of visitors on the 5th, the first day of the opening, was 1,100, and it is estimated that more than 4,500 people visited the venue during the festival. The concert organizer set up a quarantine center at the entrance to the concert hall and distributed the quarantine completion bracelet to the visitors after confirming the inoculation certificate or PCR test negative within 48 hours. After entering, the use of designated seats spaced 1 meter apart and movement between seats were prohibited. Visitors to the Jarasum Jazz Festival, who returned after two years, enjoyed the festival while observing quarantine rules despite various restrictions. Thanks to the quarantine measures, no related confirmed cases have been reported so far, and it is well received as a model for a clean performance of Corona 19.