New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Jersey City Theater Center presents "HAN!"

originally published: 01/23/2023


(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Jersey City Theater Center presents HAN!, an intimate story of Korean culture told through dance and dialogue. The performance features an ancient dance under a neon light. A virgin ghost stares out of the TV. A baby left alone in an apartment meditates on the nature of solitude. A woman explores memories of her life in relation to the Korean concept of Han. The show is in Korean with English subtitles performed by Hyun Ju Baek. These events are co-presented by Jersey City Theater Center in partnership with Theatre No Theatre, Teatro Della Toscana, Polish Cultural Institute NY, Korean Cultural Institute and Korea Society.

HAN! will premiere at Jersey City Theater Center’s White Eagle Hall (335-337 Newark Ave. Jersey City, NJ, Jersey City) on Thursday, February 9 at 7:00pm. Tickets start at just $20 and are available at www.JCTCenter.org

HAN! is directed by Thomas Richards, theater director and former Artistic Director of the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards in Pontedera, Italy. There, Richards began as a protégé and then essential collaborator of famed Polish director and performing arts theorist Jerzy Grotowski, considered to have been one of the greatest reformers of 20th century theater and one of the founders of experimental theater.

In this presentation, our heroine moves back and forth between the ancient myths of “Gojoseon,” the era of her dead grandmother, her mother’s past and her own life. Three generations of Korean women bound together in the “resilient silence” of Han. How will she navigate the sea of expectations that life, family, and nation have thrown her way? Through her struggle to understand the complexity of her own Han, which ignites a fire in her mind, we are carried into a dynamic meditation that explores the no man’s land that exists between myth and modernity, as we weigh the relation between suffering, sacrifice, and destiny.

[Han] is not an easy word to understand. It has generally been understood as a sort of resentment. But I think it means both sadness and hope at the same time. You can think of Han as the core of life, the pathway leading from birth to death. . .” Park Kyon-ni (1994)

The creative elaboration of Han! has been ongoing for five years and include Assistant Directors Cécile Richards and Jessica Losilla-Hébrail. The credits mentioned above respect the present creative situation. Others who have made creative contributions to Han! over the years are Alonso Abarzúa Vallejos, María Constanza Solarte, and Tara Ostiguy.

Director Thomas Richards was born in 1962 in New York City. He began working with Jerzy Grotowski at the University of California-Irvine, and followed him to Italy in 1986, where he worked first as his assistant at the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski, then went on to become a group leader, creator, director, and finally Artistic Director. In 1996, Grotowski changed the name of the institution to The Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards, because, as he indicated, the direction of the practical work had already concentrated itself in Richards’ hands. Mr. Richards, who holds a B.A. from Yale University, an M.A. from the University of Bologna, and the Ph.D. from the University of Paris, is the author of three books: At Work with Grotowski on Physical Actions (1993), The Edge-Point of Performance (1995), and Heart of Practice: Within the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards (2008). Following Grotowski’s death in 1999, Richards took over as director of the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards and together with Mario Biagini he is considered Grotowski’s ‘universal heir’. As Grotowski wrote, "The nature of my work with Thomas Richards has the character of ‘transmission’; to transmit to him that to which I have arrived in my life: the inner aspect of the work.

Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization committed to inspiring conversations about important issues of our times through the arts. Co-founded by Executive Producer Olga Levina, an immigrant from Belarus, Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) produces and presents universal yet locally relevant works, emphasizing social justice and human rights.  Since 2006, JCTC has provided a platform for all artistic voices to be heard in Jersey City, with the aim of sparking meaningful cross-cultural dialogue that helps build a greater understanding, mutual respect and better communities in New Jersey. 




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Music

Music Mountain Theatre presents the monster-hit musical "Young Frankenstein"

(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- From the creators of Broadway's record-breaking musical comedy sensation The Producers comes Young Frankenstein, the monster-hit musical based on the classic film comedy by Mel Brooks. Music Mountain Theatre presents the musical in a limited engagement of 11 weekend performances from June 20 through July 6, 2025.



Surflight

Surflight Theatre presents "9 to 5, The Musical"

(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre is beyond thrilled to be staging the forever timeless 9 to 5, The Musical from June 18 to July 6, 2025. Based on the book by Patricia Resnick and the 1980 film by Colin Higgins, Kelli Barclay directs and choreographs this staged adaptation following three iconic older women who decide to stick it to their boss once pushed to their breaking points.



Raconteur

Raconteur Radio presents Theatrical Adaptation of "The Hobbit" at Ocean County Library Barnegat Branch

(BARNEGAT,NJ) -- Feel like taking a journey through Middle Earth? Raconteur Radio presents a special theatrical presentation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at the Barnegat Branch of the Ocean County Library. The event begins at 7:00pm.



Cape

Cape May Stage presents "Love, Loss, & What I Wore"

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents Love, Loss, & What I Wore from July 5-11, 2025. Based on Ilene Beckerman's bestselling book, this tender and witty play weaves together monologues and ensemble pieces to explore the deep connections between clothing and memory, touching on themes like mothers, prom dresses, bras, purses, and the timeless appeal of black clothing. Showtime is 8:00pm each night.



East

East Lynne Theater Company presents Ken Ludwig's "Dear Jack, Dear Louise"

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- The award-winning, Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) – now in its 45th year–will present its first show of the company's Mainstage Season, Ken Ludwig's "Dear Jack, Dear Louise," from June 19 to July 12, 2025 with a special performance to honor Veterans on June 27. The heartwarming love story features Liz Mattera, an East Lynne veteran, as Louise, and New York-based actor Xander Furman as Jack, with Mark Edward Lang (ELTC's "Possessing Harriet") directing and lush period costumes by NYC designer Travis Chinick.



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Vivid

Vivid Summer Solos: Where is Everybody?

Wednesday, July 09, 2025 @ 6:30pm
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901
category: theatre


 

A

A Broadway Tour of America

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre


 

The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre


 

A

A Broadway Tour of America

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Grunin Center - Black Box Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: theatre


 

The

The Wizard of Oz

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees, Manasquan, NJ 08736
category: theatre


 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info