The 17th Daegu International Musical Festival Opens Next Week

The 17th Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) hosted by Daegu Metropolitan City and organized by Daegu International Musical Festival will be held throughout Daegu from May 19 (Fri) to June 5 (Mon).

DIMF, Korea's leading cultural brand, is a global musical festival that started with the pre. festival in 2006 and has provided musical charm and joy to 2.3 million audiences with 342 works from 21 countries over the past 18 years.

At the 17th festival, DIMF will fill the 18-day festival with 19 offline works and various musical events from 6 countries, including UK, Germany, and France.

The opening performance is '9 to 5,' which was written/composed by the queen of country pop, 'Dolly Parton,' and garnered much attention. It is an opportunity to be released for the first time in Korea after passing through the United States and the United Kingdom, and you can meet the original West End version of the United Kingdom.

The closing of the festival is decorated with the performance of 'Kazakhstan', which is growing at a frightening pace. The musical tells the story of Kazakhstan's legendary singer and folk hero, Roza Baglanova.

The French musical , which radiates a unique charm that breaks the framework of existing musicals, will make its world premiere at the 17th DIMF. The German musical is an adaptation of the novel of "Theodor Fontane," which is recognized for its outstanding work.

As a musical representative of Korea during the 17th DIMF, the musical produced by the National Jeongdong Theater will be presented first. There is a work based on the novel of the same name that is loved all over the world. The nursery school conveys warm comfort and hope through the growth of four children.

The Korean musical , which won the Creative Musical Award last year, will be performed again this year after a year of upgrades. This work sheds light on the life of a female scientist who contributed to the development of geology and paleontology through fossil excavation in the 18th century, but was not recognized.

There are also 5 new performances to be released at DIMF for the first time.

"The 17th DIMF Creative Support Project" is a project to support the stage production by contesting performances only with scripts and music. △, a comedy/jazz musical that will be presented as a differentiated musical play by adapting Shakespeare's masterpiece 'The Tempest' △ that captures the agony of "Lee Bang-won," the father of three princes before the king △ that will raise the topic of true "justice" through the heartbreaking events recorded in "Yoo Kyung-rok," the only murder report of the Joseon Dynasty △the drama musical , which will deliver a new perspective on 'death' based on the fire at the demolition site in District 4, Yongsan in 2009. A total of 4 performances will be selected and premiered,

Also, is a musical that DIMF has produced for the first time in 11 years since the musical "Turandot." It is based on the unique theme of the afterlife of angels and demons, and is considered one of the most anticipated works of the festival.

DIMF will broadcast live online on DIMF's official Naver TV channel for all five performances ahead of their premiere so that many audiences can watch the birth of new works. In addition, after the performance, "M.Talk," an offline side event where creators and cast members can communicate with the audience about their works, will be held for each work.

All of these performances offer a 30% ticket discount to foreigners.

The "DIMF Colllege Musical Festival," which is full of passion from musical majors, will also be held during the festival. A total of 8 universities from Korea and abroad have advanced to the finals, and detailed performances can be found on the DIMF's official website (all seats are free)

There are also plenty of events held outside the theater. From May 11 (Thu) to May 14 (Sun), a week before the opening of the 17th DIMF, the '2023 Suseongmot Musical Fringe Festival (SMFF)' ambitiously prepared by DIMF and Suseong-gu, Daegu will be held around Suseong Lake. Centered around Suseong Lake, one of the landmarks of Daegu, there will be musical gala concerts, street performances by musical performance teams and citizen artists, photo zones, and flea markets.

On May 19 (Fri), the opening day of the festival, at 7 PM, Korea's first musical film, "Turandot: The Kingdom of Darkness," will be screened on a large screen at the Kolon Outdoor Music Hall. Based on the addictive original musical number, fantasy elements are maximized to provide a different kind of pleasure and impression.

In addition, on May 20th (Sat) at Kolon Outdoor Music Hall from 7:30 p.m., a large-scale outdoor musical gala concert featuring domestic and foreign musical stars will be held, the 17th DIMF Awards, the finale of the festival that will be sent to 114 countries around the world, will be held at Daegu Opera House on June 5 (Mon).

In addition, various side events, such as backstage tours, fan autographs events, star dates, and open musical special lectures, will be held as actively as in previous years to enhance the atmosphere of a 'festival' that everyone can enjoy together.

Bae Seong-hyeok, executive chairman of DIMF, said, "As expectations for a festival free of masks increase in earnest, it is palpable that the expectations and aspirations of all performers and audiences for DIMF are also heating up. We are doing our best to prepare for you to see the true nature of the global festival through various events with domestic and foreign performances carefully selected by DIMF, including the greatest masterpiece of all time, '9 to 5,' so please come and enjoy it to the fullest."

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