Smashing

We are the voice of Korea’s youth.

About the Play

Quality guaranteed: the second installment of Arirang’s Creative Incubating project! Following Camellia Blossoms—which began as an incubation project under the ‘Arirang Creative Exhibition,’ proved its quality through public showcases, and went on to win Best Production in the open participation category at the 2012 Seoul Theater Festival—Smashing is the second project to take the stage after refining its humor and emotional impact before live workshop audiences.

Synopsis

Four friends gather at a neighborhood table tennis club.

Bo-geom, living in the shadow of his high-achieving older brother and ignored at home; Hyun-jun, a house-poor young man working night shifts amid neighborhood redevelopment; Jun-ho, a struggling insurance salesman failing to meet quotas; and Seong-min, a table tennis coach trapped in his part-time gig to pay off student loans.

Can they ever turn their lives around? A misplaced lottery ticket with a third-place prize of 1 million won turns up! A game of table tennis with their destinies on the line begins…

Key Highlights

An exhilarating smash to blow away the winter blues! Does your future feel uncertain? Feeling down on your luck and broke? Shivering through winter without a partner to walk through the snow with? Or is your love life facing daily crises and quarrels? Four young men hanging around the neighborhood table tennis hall will deliver gut-busting laughs with their hopelessly relatable struggles. One swift smash is all it takes to blow off steam!

A heartwarming smash to revive shrinking youth! A near-bankrupt insurance salesman, a house-poor night-shift worker burdened with massive debt, a runaway aspiring writer going through a late rebellious phase, and a ping-pong club part-timer grinding away at student loans—this is a human drama celebrating young underdogs with less-than-stellar résumés. Their lives may seem messy, but there are no true failures, only trials! Amid harsh realities, the enduring bond and warmth among these friends serve up a touching smash of hope.

A real smash showcasing the true grit of neighborhood table tennis! Table tennis is a delicate, fast-paced sport where players clash over a 274 cm table with a tiny 40 mm, 2.7-gram ball. Wondering if they actually play ping-pong live on stage? Thinking a scripted match could never be thrilling? Come see for yourself! Featuring nail-biting, unpredictable neighborhood doubles matches where the ball is round and anything can happen. You really have to see it to believe it.

A youth drama every policymaker needs to see! Can you get married while paying off student debt? Can house-poor young people even afford romance? Can you survive without owning a home? Is local urban redevelopment truly working? Smashing lays out 100% authentic concerns faced by contemporary Korean youth—a relatable, candid story hoping to deliver an empowering smash through life’s overwhelming worries.