Noraebang Diplomacy - 2026 Seoul Marginal Theatre Festival

노래방 디플로마시
Noraebang Diplomacy

Shaifulbahri Mohamad
2026.09.03.(Thu) - 09.06.(Sun) | Thu/Fri 20:00, Sat 21:00, Sun 15:00
Funtastic Theatre

［Introduction］
〈Noraebang Diplomacy〉 is a participatory theatre work created by Shaifulbahri Mohamad (Shai). It draws from his personal experiences with Korean pop culture to South Korean society’s relationship with Southeast Asian ones. In a world where cultures and people circulate more freely than ever, the work begins with a simple question: are we as ready to truly accept one another as we are to love each other’s cultures? Set within a space where, for a moment, everyone is equal - the Noraebang (karaoke; singing room), the performance interrogates the distance that can exist beneath cultural enthusiasm, and the uneasy relationships between hospitality and exclusion, affection and imbalance. Through songs, stories, and humour, the audience moves beyond passive spectatorship, entering a shared space of reflection on how we see and receive one another.

［Artist | Shaifulbahri Mohamad］
Shaifulbahri Mohamad curates, creates and facilitates experiences for the stage, in public spaces and amongst people. He is currently Artistic Director of Bahri ＆ Co and an organising member of Producers SG. Shai graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with an MA in Creative Producing (Distinction). His projects have been presented in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom and is currently developing new projects with South Korea and Canada. Questioning the place of the Southeast Asian person and body in different permutations and contexts, Shai is curious about their relationship with site, space, memories, impermanence and resonance. Through transdisciplinary and transnational collaborations, activations and presentations, his work is often set against the backdrop of the millennial memory making experience.

［Credits］
Playwright, Performer: Shaifulbahri Mohamad | Director: Adeeb Fazah | Sound: Morceau J. Woo | Light: Gayeong Seo | Producer: Jin Yim | Stage Manager: Ki Seok Lee | Production Support: Hanna Jung | Co-producer: with Bahri ＆ Co, Project DARI | Development Space Support: Femi Theatre (Queer Femi Theater Center)

［In Conversation with the Festival］
While reading Shai’s artist statement, one word repeatedly caught my attention.

“Uri,” the Korean word for “we” or “our.”
As a word, “uri” is one of the most powerful ways the Korean language produces intimacy. Family, friends, even strangers meeting for the first time can easily become “uri.” But this very intimacy creates boundaries at the same time. Some are effortlessly granted entry inside, while others are left outside no matter how long they have stayed.
Even those who sang together become strangers again before an immigration desk. A song can be sung along with, but “uri” cannot be sung into being.

Shai brings this exact fault line right into the karaoke room.

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2026 서울변방연극제
首爾邊緣演劇節
ソウル·マ-ジナル·シアタ-·フェスティバル
Seoul Marginal Theatre Festival

“흩어져, 모든 것이 엉키는 가운데”
Scatter, as All Things Entangle

The 2026 Seoul Marginal Theatre Festival imagines encounters between different temporalities. From the margins, we question other movements that reveal cycles and interweavings, and the processes of transformation that oscillate between the defined and the undefined.

2026.09.02. - 09.20.

Presented by Seoul Marginal Theatre Festival http://smtfestival.com
Supported by Arts Council Korea

［Notes for the audience］
*［Post-Show Talk］ Fri, Sep 4, after the 8:00 PM performance
* With Shaifulbahri Mohamad (Playwright, Performer), Jin Yim (Producer)
* Consecutive interpretation provided.