SELL ME: I Am from North Korea

Overview

SELL ME: I am from North Korea written & performed by Sora Baek

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SELL ME: I Am From North Korea is inspired by the true stories of North Korean defectors who risk everything to escape one of Earth’s most repressive regimes.

Sora masterfully delivers a brutally honest performance filled with vulnerability, humor, and boundless energy as she explores the nature of diversity, social justice, human rights, and the struggles of the oppressed.

SYNOPSIS : On her 15th birthday, Jisun makes the heart-wrenching decision to sell herself to an old Chinese man to make money for her dying mother’s medications.

 “This heart-rending piece will introduce you to an unpleasant and uncomfortable reality: the painful price of freedom in North Korea”- Tom Block, International Human Rights Art Festival Founder & Executive Director

 “…is not only excellent, it is an important tool to teach people about the North Korean human rights situation”- Henry Song, the Song Foundation for North Korea Human Rights

“One of the most powerful events I have brought to my campus…incredible”- The Women’s Center, William Paterson University

“Powerful, riveting experience. A must-see”- Nuu Grenier, M. Ed. William Paterson University

“Outstanding depiction of the experience… captivating…thought provoking. Highly recommend”- Frances Robinson, LMSW, Kingsborough Community College

Q. What is unique about SELL ME?

I grew up in a small town where I could see some of the ghost buildings cross the river (no one’s living in there. they’re just for show and they’re not even that impressive! ) in N Korea. My father was born in 황해도 N Korea and fled to S Korea

Sora Baek/ North Korea Theater

SORA BAEK (Writer/Performer) is an award winning actor, writer and producer from South Korea. She has been featured on the New York Times, News 12 NJ and Voice of America. Select acting theater credits include: SELL ME: I am from North Korea (International Human Rights Festival, NYC, Jersey City Theater Center), The Storm, A Christmas Carol, and Sworn Virgin (NY and International Tour) with Blessed Unrest, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Calaveras Repertory Theatre), Odd Couple, and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Curious Frog). Sora received Best Actress at the Epidemic Film Festival in San Francisco. She works with Only Make Believe where she creates interactive theater with children in hospitals and is an associate member of an internationally acclaimed theater company, Blessed Unrest. (www.sorabaek.com) Sora Baek is on a mission to help people to rethink their preconceived notions of North Korea. Her solo show offers an unique personal perspective of a North Korean woman defector and survivor while raising important questions about women's rights, diversity, and empowerment. She is committed to keep sharing shows that bring the North Korean women's true stories to the global conversation forefront.

Credits

Written and performed by Sora Baek, Director: Jaimie Van Dyke, Lighting Designer: Mikaela Baird, Stage Manger: Leigh Walter, Sound Designer: Jaimie Van Dyke, Editor: Adela Wagner, Camera Operation: Ben Miler, Audio Technicians: Stephe Cooper & Brendan Reilly, Production Assistant: Aidan Sartori, Original Projection Designer: Clay Anderson, Additional Photography by Elliot Lee, Original staging by Amanda Kate Joshi, Song by Choi Jin-hee, Song performed by Nuno Antunes & Vlada Yaneva