Communication sophomore Ghino Lee hopes guests don’t just leave “The Mark of Han” creeped out, but also filled in on a chapter that was likely missing from their history books.
In his first-ever “immersive theater experience” — which will run in the Shanley Pavillion on Oct. 24 and 25 — Lee looks to spotlight the effects of the Korean War.
The event blends together elements of haunted houses, escape rooms and traditional theater — which motivated Lee to train actors both in pre-rehearsed lines and improvised dialogues with guests.
“It’s not like a traditional theater piece where you’re just reciting a line,” Lee said. “With the rehearsal process, I split it down the middle and into two parts: What I call the ‘concrete strand’ and what I call the ‘interactive strand.’”
The plot of “The Mark of Han” follows Ji-Yeon, a Korean-American teen who becomes the target of haunting visions from her father, a fallen American soldier. Visitors are invited to enter Ji-Yeon’s house and solve the historical mystery before it’s too late.
Lee’s lightbulb moment came during a Korean literature and culture class he took in the winter under Asian languages and cultures Prof. Dahye Kim. When learning about the Korean War, Lee, who is Korean-American, said he was shocked to find out how little about it he previously knew.
“It’s literally called ‘The Forgotten War’ in American textbooks, even though two to three million Korean civilians died,” Lee said.
While he initially set out to make the most thrilling experience he could, Lee said he spent a great deal of time thinking about balancing entertainment with the weight of the wartime themes the experience highlights.
To make “The Mark of Han” as accurate as possible, Lee said he traded ideas with PhD students in Northwestern’s Asian American Studies Program.
“I had to carefully balance between the harshness of it and also making it fun,” Lee said. “I think what really helped me with this process is leaning into the Korean aesthetics.”
Lee’s culture-first approach influenced other members of the team with their roles in production.
Communication senior and puppet designer Laura Fajardo-Riascos said Lee’s strong directorial vision helped her hone her craft and tailor it to the show’s aesthetics.
“He left it pretty open ended, but knowing that we wanted to go in a really historical direction,” Fajardo-Riascos said. “I chose shadow puppetry because it does have a lot of roots in East Asian history.”
Communication freshman and stage manager Alvin Wang first met Lee shortly after Wildcat Welcome, and the two bonded over their shared love for theme park design. Wang said the cultural aspects of “The Mark of Han” were what drew him to sign on to the project.
Wang said Lee was very involved in all facets of the show and found the backstage environment very rewarding.
“Ghino’s really motivated on a lot of things, and he’s also wearing a lot of hats,” Wang said.
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X: @migtsang
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