History of KCN............................................

What is Korean Culture Night?

Korean Culture Night (KCN) is an annual stage production hosted by UCLA Hanoolim and presented on the UCLA campus. For nearly 20 years, this event has been educating UCLA students and the Los Angeles community about Korean and Korean American culture through the performing arts. Our goal is to raise cultural awareness, promote multiculturalism, and provide a central annual event where students and members of the local community can converge and celebrate the achievements of the Korean people.

The two to three-hour show usually features live skits, traditional drumming and dance, martial arts, video documentaries and shorts, and modern dance and singing, all tied together by a common theme, which changes every year. These themes range from past and present social and political issues to aspects of traditional and modern culture. It is the common goal of these themes to reflect upon not only student perspectives, but also American society.

The production is led by UCLA Hanoolim, which is a campus student organization founded to promote the awareness of Korean culture. Students work on the production throughout the school year, writing, designing, and choreographing original material. The work culminates in a grand performance in Spring, with almost 2000 attendees. Korean Culture Night remains the single largest student project at UCLA that brings together a diverse group of Korean students to collaborate and combine their skills into one cohesive product. Furthermore, KCN has grown to become the most well-received Korean student-run production in the nation.

KCN 2006

This year's original play is about a Korean American adoptee, Katy, who falls in love with her student, an artist named Elijah. The ensuing relationship unravels her family past and pushes the boundaries of her self-identity. The production features not only a talented cast but also traditional Korean drumming, traditional Korean dancing, modern dancing, original music played by a live band, and beautifully designed sets.

KCN 2005
The Tale of Changsu - an original musical

Changsu, a young servant of the royal palace during the Goryeo Dynasty, is forced to abandon his elderly mother in the forest because of a law enacted by King Daesong to reduce the impact of a devastating famine. Unable to bring himself to let his mother die, he decides to break the law and bring food to her in the forest periodically, putting his life at risk.

Meanwhile, the palace is in danger of being attacked by their enemy, the Jurchen, so King Daesong orders his daughter, Princess Mina, to protect herself by posing as a servant. Changsu hopelessly falls in love with her, not knowing her true royal identity. In an effort to save his doomed mother and marry the love he cannot have, Changsu gets lured into a dangerous adventure in a world of iron-fisted rulers, greedy aristocrats, and deadly assassins.