Koki Mitani's 'American Dream' plays four Seoul shows with its original Japanese cast
PARCO's first production to reach Seoul with the original cast intact. Seoul closes a seven-city Japanese tour, with four performances at the Woori Bank Hall in Coex Artium from 30 October to 1 November.
PUBLICAi Editorial4 min read
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Key points
- "American Dream", a new play written and directed by Koki Mitani, plays four performances at the Woori Bank Hall in Coex Artium: 7.30pm on Friday 30 October, 2pm and 7pm on Saturday the 31st and 1pm on Sunday 1 November. It is performed in Japanese with Korean surtitles, runs 110 minutes and is rated for ages 8 and up.
- Tickets go on sale at 2pm on Friday 18 September, exclusively on NOL Ticket. PARCO says the Korean and Japanese sales open on the same day. OP and VIP seats are 120,000 won, R seats 100,000 won, S seats 80,000 won and A seats 60,000 won.
- According to PARCO, this is the first time one of its own productions has come to Seoul with the original Japanese cast intact. The cast is Fumiyo Kohinata, Kazuyuki Asano, Hajime Yamazaki, Haruko Sekiya, Masahiro Asano and Taishi Nakagawa.
A new play by Koki Mitani — the Japanese writer-director Korean audiences know from "The Laughing Academy" and "If I Were With You" — comes to Seoul with its Japanese cast. According to the NOL Ticket product page and the press release the producer PARCO issued on 31 August, "PARCO PRODUCE 2026 American Dream" runs from 30 October to 1 November at the Woori Bank Hall in Coex Artium, four performances in all: 7.30pm on the Friday, 2pm and 7pm on the Saturday and 1pm on the Sunday. The play is performed in Japanese, with Korean surtitles shown on a surtitle display whose position will be confirmed and announced once the set is installed.
Tickets go on sale at 2pm on 18 September, exclusively on NOL Ticket, and PARCO's release says the Korean and Japanese sales open the same day. There are five seat grades: OP and VIP at 120,000 won each, R at 100,000 won, S at 80,000 won and A at 60,000 won. The running time is 110 minutes and admission is limited to ages 8 and up, meaning those born in 2019 or earlier. The booking page notes that the play contains smoking scenes, that vitamin products are used as props in place of real cigarettes, and that younger audience members are advised to attend with a guardian.
The play is set in Hollywood in the late 1940s, at the opening of the Cold War. Its core is the psychological contest between film-industry figures summoned before the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy-era hunt for communists and the investigators facing them across a cramped hotel room. PARCO describes it as a subject Mitani has carried for a long time, and as a straight drama about power and art rather than the comedy he is best known for. The roles are cast as follows: Fumiyo Kohinata as the screenwriter, Kazuyuki Asano as the film director, Hajime Yamazaki as the meister, Haruko Sekiya as the actress, and Masahiro Asano and Taishi Nakagawa as the investigators.
Seoul is the last stop of a tour that began in Tokyo in August and took in Kyoto, Sapporo, Okayama, Osaka, Aichi and Fukuoka — seven Japanese cities. PARCO says it has staged Mitani's "The Laughing Academy" in English in the United Kingdom, "The Woman in Black" in London, "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" in New York and "The Hunting Gun" in Canada, but that bringing the original cast to Seoul is a first. In Korea, Mitani's plays — "The Laughing Academy", "If I Were With You", "Ochestra Pit" — have been seen in Korean-language licensed productions; this time the staging is the author's own, in the original language.
As of 18 September the production was not yet registered in KOPIS, Korea's performing-arts database, and the NOL product page lists no Korean presenter or organiser. Booking and audience information is on the NOL Ticket product page, and details of the play itself on PARCO Stage's official page.
Production details
| Dates | Fri 30 Oct 7.30pm, Sat 31 Oct 2pm and 7pm, Sun 1 Nov 1pm |
| Venue | Woori Bank Hall, Coex Artium, Gangnam-gu, Seoul |
| Language | Japanese, with Korean surtitles |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Age guidance | Ages 8 and up (born 2019 or earlier) |
| Ticketing | NOL Ticket (exclusive) |
| On sale | 2pm, Friday 18 September |
| Written and directed by | Koki Mitani |
| Produced by | PARCO |
| Booking status | On sale from 2pm, 18 September |
Ticket prices
| Seat grade | Price |
|---|---|
| OP | 120,000 won |
| VIP | 120,000 won |
| R | 100,000 won |
| S | 80,000 won |
| A | 60,000 won |
Cast
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Screenwriter | Fumiyo Kohinata |
| Film director | Kazuyuki Asano |
| Meister | Hajime Yamazaki |
| Actress | Haruko Sekiya |
| Investigators | Masahiro Asano, Taishi Nakagawa |
When do tickets go on sale?
At 2pm on Friday 18 September, exclusively on NOL Ticket. PARCO says the Korean and Japanese sales open on the same day.
How much are tickets?
Five grades: OP and VIP at 120,000 won each, R at 100,000 won, S at 80,000 won and A at 60,000 won.
When and where is the play performed?
Four performances at the Woori Bank Hall in Coex Artium, Gangnam-gu, Seoul: 7.30pm on Friday 30 October, 2pm and 7pm on Saturday the 31st, and 1pm on Sunday 1 November.
It is performed in Japanese — are there surtitles?
Yes. The play is performed in the original Japanese with Korean surtitles on a surtitle display. Its position will be confirmed and announced once the set is installed.
What is the minimum age?
Ages 8 and up, meaning those born in 2019 or earlier. The booking page recommends that younger audience members attend with a guardian, and notes that the play contains smoking scenes in which vitamin products are used as props instead of real cigarettes.
