A play in a Play from the Off-Broadway play: King and the Clown

"Yi" is the actual play's name, written by Kim Tae-Woong, a well-known Korean playwright. Its popularity surged after being recognized as the original source for the highly successful film "King and the Clown (2005)," topping box office charts in Korea. It draws inspiration from a passage in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, briefly mentioning the king's favourite clown, Gong-gil, while Jang-saeng is a fictional character. In the Joseon Dynasty, "Yi" was what the king called his beloved subjects. Since its first staging in 2000, the play has earned numerous awards from the Korean Theater Association, including Best Performance, Best Play, and Best New Actor, followed by accolades from the Dong-A Theater Awards in the subsequent year. Its bold premise about the tyrannical King Yeonsan's affection for a court jester sparked intrigue and acclaim.

Synopsis: The story revolves around King Yeonsan of the Joseon Dynasty and Gong Gil, his artistic counterpart. Gong Gil rises to lead the Loyal Theater called Huirakwon by offering his talents and humour. As tensions escalate, Gong Gil faces challenges from jealous rivals like Noksu, who fabricates defamatory documents to incriminate Gong Gil. Meanwhile, Gong Gil's friend Jang-saeng discovers the truth about the forged documents, leading to a series of dramatic events and revelations.

The staged reading of “King and the Clown” took place on July 26th at 7pm and July 27th at 2pm and then again at 7pm at the Classic Stage Company located at 136 East 13th Street, New York, NY 10003.

The principal cast includes Benjamin Lang as Gong Gil, Jun Kim as King Yeonsan, Kitt Mcclean as Jang-saeng, Wonhee Kim as Nogsu, Andrew V. Ly as Park Won-Jong, and Nick Fang as Hong. The production will also include actors M-Jay He, Cynthia Hu, Rebecca Nakano, and Daniel Lee as an ensemble of clowns. The production is directed by New York City-based Korean director Keeyong Hong and produced by Pontifex Production in collaboration with (Gyurin Kim) Sodam Art Production.