Director Seonjae Kim on “WILD Goose Dreams”

In the summer of 2022, Seonjae Kim, director of Wild Goose Dreams, spoke about her interpretation of the play, her history at SpeakEasy, and how to represent cyberspace on stage. Read her insightful answers below!

Wild Goose Dreams does one of the most daring things a play can do in the 21^st Century – try to represent the digital world of the internet on stage. How does Jung portray cyberspace, and what challenges or opportunities do you see in staging it?

Jung’s cyberspace is not an austere, alien space, but a vibrant backdrop to Nanhee and Minsung’s story. It’s a map, a community, a second reality, like it is for pretty much all of us who live in the age of the internet. In staging it, I hope to surprise audiences by showing a version of the web that feels intimate, welcoming and “real” as much as it is overwhelming.

While you’re not a Bostonian yourself, you’ve seen a good handful of SpeakEasy shows. What was your relationship with SpeakEasy prior to this project?

It’s so emotional for me to return to speak easy because I went to high school near Boston and I saw shows at Speakeasy all the time directed by my mentor David R. Gammons. The stories I saw onstage- colorful, dangerous and visceral- shaped me as a young artist, and I’m honored to have the chance to return as a director. 

What are you most looking forward to in the process of bringing Wild Goose Dreams to life and bringing it to SpeakEasy audiences?

I am excited to bring this play to Boston audiences for many reasons, but especially to bring such a specific cultural portrayal of a society far away. I think Nanhee and Minsung’s struggle to find intimacy and belonging in a fast-changing and lonely world is something we can all relate to as human beings – I hope that Wild Goose Dreams can serve as an unexpected yet familiar mirror for Speakeasy audiences.