Storytelling Variety show calls for participants from March 15 to April 7 to be on

 <We are still the stars (tentative title)>

Storytelling recognized as a new creative artistic genre through variety shows and storytelling theater productions

“The 6070 Storytelling Artists (Storytelling Grandmas)” are set to test their storytelling skills in a competition where the winner will be given a chance to go on a national tour with her tales. Starting this year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister PARK Bo Gyoon, MCST) and the Korean Studies Institute (Director JEONG Jong-seop, KSI) will reform and expand the “6070 Storytelling artists (Storytelling Grandmas)” program to meet elderly citizens’ needs for cultural participation and help them become leading actors in the artistic creation field.

“The MCST plans to develop folk storytelling into one of the main K-culture sectors to meet elderly citizens’ needs for cultural participation and help them reinvent themselves as creators and artists,” Minister PARK said.

Battle-Type Variety Show on Grandma Storytellers “We Are Still the Stars (Tentative Title)” to Feature Storytelling Grandmas This June on tvN STORY

A variety show where elderly storytellers compete with their storytelling chops is in the works. The program, tentatively named “We Are Still the Stars,” is set to focus on “storytelling battles” featuring Storytelling Grandmas on a mission to start a new chapter in their lives through stories, following their journey from the qualifying to the final rounds. The show will air in mid-June on tvN STORY. All former and current Storytelling Grandmas are eligible for application, and a face-to-face audition will be held to select around 15 contestants to advance to the second rounds.

In the second rounds, the Storytelling Grandmas will be divided into teams, each planning and producing a storytelling theater project (interdisciplinary production combining stories, music, fairy tales, and illustrations) with the help of celebrity mentors, including actors and musicians. Teams advancing to the final round will then face off in a storytelling performance battle, and the best Storytelling Grandma Team will be chosen through votes by an on-site review panel comprising children, parents, and teachers. If you are interested in participating in the program, you can visit the Storytelling Grandmas Project website (www.storymama.kr) or tvN STORY’s Instagram page to read the application notice, and submit an application form and self-introduction video online between March 15 (Wed) and April 7 (Fri).

 The MCST to Organize Storytelling Theater National Tours and Distribute K-Folktale Storytelling Videos Globally

The MCST plans to organize “Storytelling Theater National Tours” based on the theater project created for the storytelling battle so that audiences can see the grandmas in action in actual theaters. After adapting three to four storytelling theater projects in the final round into the small theater format, around ten nationwide tours will take place in about three major cities starting this October.

In addition, videos subtitled in foreign languages of the Storytelling Grandmas will be distributed globally, allowing audiences abroad to enjoy K-folk stories. The videos, scheduled for production during the first half of the year, will showcase the fantastic appeal of K-folktales by combining the Storytelling Grandmas’ performance with animation and music. The storytelling videos are set to be distributed starting September through various platforms, including King Sejong Institute official website and the Storytelling Grandmas YouTube Channel.

 Storytelling Grandmas, Fostering Creativity of Future Generations and Leading Intergenerational Communication

The 6070 Storytelling Artists (Storytelling Grandmas) in the project will visit youth education facilities nationwide to tell children folk stories and anecdotes from the lives of renowned historical figures. Launched in 2009 with thirty storytelling artists during the first year, the program marks its 15th anniversary this year. The project has grown in scope each year, with around 3,000 Storytelling Grandmas sharing Korean folk stories to approximately 520,000 children at 8,600 facilities across Korea in 2022, contributing to the promotion of creativity among future generations and facilitating intergenerational communication.