- Creating performances and ensuring their accessibility to both performers and audience, including people with and without disabilities

- Minister YU stated, “I hope that it will serve as a benchmark for the establishment and operation of local and privately run theaters.”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister YU In Chon, MCST) opened the MODU Art Theater on the afternoon of October 24 (Tue) in collaboration with the Korea Disability Arts & Culture Center (Director KIM Hyung Hee, KDAC). The primary objective of this theater is to provide the highest level of accessibility for cultural and artistic activities, catering to people with disabilities and allowing them to engage in creative expression and enjoyment. The opening ceremony was graced by approximately 150 individuals from the cultural and arts sector, including Minister YU In Chon; the head of the Federation of Disability Culture and Arts Associations of Korea (FDCA), BAE Eun Joo; and the renowned writer JUNG Eun Hye. Moreover, artists with disabilities and organizational leaders attended at this momentous event.

To realize the creative expression, diversity, and the fundamental right to enjoy the arts for people with disabilities, the MCST initiated renovation works in October 2022. The objective was to transform the space into a theater capable of accommodating performances, artistic creation, educational activities, and cultural exchanges. In just a little over a year, the MODU Art Theater is now prepared for its grand opening. Serving as Korea’s first universally designed performing venue for artists with disabilities, this facility encompasses three floors (first–third floors) of the Gusegun Building, with a total area of 2,014 m².

 It’s a space where everyone, regardless of disabilities, can come together and enjoy all forms of art without any discrimination

As its name suggests, the MODU Art Theater is a space where “everyone (modu in Korean)” (with or without disabilities) can “enjoy” and where “all forms of art” seamlessly “come together.” The MCST has developed the MODU Art Theater as an integral component of its national agenda and innovation project. This project aligns with the government’s policy objective of fostering a “warm coexistence, a society where everyone is happy.” This overarching initiative involves broadening the horizons of the standard performance venue, offering artists with disabilities more opportunities for creation, practice, and presentation, as well as establishing specialized spaces in the field of visual arts.[1]

 The theater not only boasts top-level accessibility in terms of physical space and facilities but also in its service domain

The MODU Art Theater has significantly enhanced the accessibility level for creation and viewing (enjoyment) in all aspects, including space, facilities, and services. First, the changes in terms of spatial composition are as follows: (1) adjusted the 250-seat medium theater to accommodate variable adjustments according to the situation of wheelchair seating, (2) equipped creative residences and educational spaces in practice rooms, (3) established a creative studio capable of small-scale performances and showcases, and  (4) provided practice rooms and dressing rooms for the convenience of performing groups. Second, from a facility perspective, the improvements are as follows: (1) ensured flatness throughout the entire space to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities, (2) created a stage with no restrictions on activities, (3) secured dressing room-to-stage pathways, and  (4) enabled wheelchair access in the stage technology control room. Third, in terms of services, the theater provided support for different types of disabilities, such as visual, hearing, developmental, and learning disabilities, allowing them to enjoy the performances. Additionally, in terms of theater operations, there was an appointed house manager and an accessibility manager to provide various services.

 Prioritize reservation of venues for artists with disabilities and organizations, providing discounts on facility usage fees to expand opportunities for artists with disabilities

Starting in early October with a pilot performance, the theater will present a selection of 10 outstanding domestic and international artworks, including creative and planned pieces, from artists with disabilities until February next year. The performance hall, practice rooms, and studios of the MODU Art Theater will be open to all, with plans to accept regular and occasional reservations twice a year. However, the theater intends to operate by providing priority reservations and discounted usage fees to individuals with disabilities or organizations whose members are with disabilities, thereby expanding the opportunities for creative expression and presentation by individuals (artists) with disabilities.

Minister YU remarked, “People create spaces, and spaces change people. We have come together to create the long-awaited MODU Art Theater, a standard performance venue for artists with disabilities. We hope that this space will not differentiate between people with and without disabilities but instead foster an integrated perspective in our society. We also anticipate that it will bring about changes in the perception of cultural and artistic spaces and in the ways we support artists. Looking ahead, we hope that the establishment and operation model of the MODU Art Theater will set the standard for other performance venues, and the MCST will actively support the elevation of accessibility levels in cultural and artistic spaces.”