The term soulmate highlights the strong bond that lies within a particularly strong relationship. No matter how the surrounding situation changes, this bond is not easily broken. SOULMATE, Korea University’s (KU) musical club, in this regard, seems to have lived up to its name. Even despite the many restrictions of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), SOULMATE has consistently shown effort to maintain their bond with the KU student body, which is their main audience, through the best possible methods.

COVID-19 has put a halt on many activities, especially those that are based on physical human interaction. Musicals, which are reliant on in-person interaction between the actors and the audience to deliver a unique experience, therefore, have been largely affected. SOULMATE was no exception. As social distancing has been strictly enforced, SOULMATE has been unable to perform musicals during the pandemic. Instead, they have actively strived to find their own ways to reach their fellow KU students.

SOULMATE: Who Are They?

SOULMATE is the one and only musical club of KU. Anyone who is a student at KU, regardless of age or year of study, is eligible to join. SOULMATE is composed of two teams: the production team, which is further classified into the music team, art team, and planning team, and the practice team, which is further classified into the acting team and directing team. The club presents two regular shows every year, and unlike most other musical clubs, all productions showcased by SOULMATE are completely original.

According to Park Woo Hyun (‘20, Chemical and Biological Engineering), the leader of the practice team, SOULMATE starts preparing for their regular play right after the end of recruitment for new club members. Park explained, “In the beginning of the semester, the directing team starts writing the show and the rest of the teams also start their practice and preparation through weekly team seminars.” The members start practice over vacations, during which the practice team members gather five to six times a week for practice and the production team members work on all the additional tasks that are involved in putting on a show. Finally, SOULMATE showcases the musical in the first week of a new semester.

Diverse Inputs Create a Masterly Output

All SOULMATE teams are responsible for different tasks. Park mentioned, “In addition to the weekly team seminars, several different teams hold joint seminars.” These joint seminars are held based on a schedule agreed upon by the cooperating teams. For example, the music team and the directing team meet up to discuss the lyrics and composition of their musical numbers, which happens for approximately a month.

The way Park explained it, the preparation of a musical seems to require the avid teamwork of all members involved. The conception of the show begins with the club members proposing various ideas about the subject of the show, the best of which is decided based on votes. Then, the directing team writes a script based on the finalized subject. Based on this script, the music team and the art team create musical numbers and necessary props, while the planning team creates advertisement materials and tickets. While all of these preparation procedures take place, the acting team works on their vocalization and acting until the script is finalized, which is when they start rehearsing for the play.

SOULMATE’s Continuing Effort to Interact

Even when social distancing guidelines got in the way of performing live in person, SOULMATE did not submit to the limitations set by the pandemic. Instead, they used this situation as an opportunity to interact with their audience in a new way. The members decided to showcase their 25th regular show, 22 Days: Memories of Silence, through their social media platforms and YouTube channel. On March 13, SOULMATE uploaded a video of the actors singing the numbers of 22 Days: Memories of Silence, a show about five different Koreans on a ship named Silence traveling to Korea from the United States. On their way, the five hear the news that there is a war going on in Korea. They ponder on whether to continue their trip or return to the States.

According to Park, as soon as it became impossible to put on 22 Days: Memories of Silence in person, the members went through a series of discussions and voted on possible alternative activities. He stated, “The members proposed various alternatives and based on the votes cast by each and every member, we decided that the creation of a relay music video of the actors singing the numbers of the show and a playbook of the show would be the best.”

Park also commented, “As it is most desirable to have a fixed number of members in preparation of a musical, SOULMATE tries to keep the number of members at around 25 to 30.” Moreover, he mentioned, “As a small group, we work together and cooperate towards the common goal of making a musical happen; this allows us to form a strong bond among ourselves and create a harmonious atmosphere.” Especially over breaks when members start practicing for their upcoming musical, they are able to foster their friendships. Park stated, “We all meet up over the break so often that we form a strong sense of intimacy and belonging to each other, and I think the solidarity that is formed in this process is what makes us strong and unique.”

Every element involved in the creation of a musical — acting, production, planning, art, and music — is equally important. However, people tend to focus on and remember more of the visual factors such as acting and art than the rest. In this sense, the recent project done by SOULMATE holds value as it allows the audience to follow along with the plot of the play better with the lyrics presented in the video. In their own way, SOULMATE seems to have found a silver lining in the pandemic situation and used it not only to continue their interaction with the audience, but also to demonstrate their passion and potential in attempting something new.