World Voices Festival: “Highway 7” by Haeyoul Bae
Presented by The Segal Center
Monday, May 5, 2025, 6:30 PM
Martin E. Segal Centre, CUNY (365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016)
Tickets: FREE & first come, first served
The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY, is proud to present the 2025 SEGAL CENTER WORLD VOICES FESTIVAL, a dynamic three-day celebration of contemporary international playwriting.
The festival, which is free and open to the public, will take place Thursday May 1, Saturday May 3, and Thursday May 5, showcasing new plays in translation by groundbreaking playwrights Haeyoul Bae (South Korea), Kathrine Nedrejord (Norway), Kaite O’Reilly (Ireland/UK), and Christos Panagiotakis (Greece).
Each reading will be performed live in-person at the Segal Theatre (365 Fifth Avenue, at 34th Street) and live streamed via HowlRound, followed by discussions with the playwrights and a reception.
On May 5th, the Segal Center will present a reading of Highway 7 by Haeyoul Bae (South Korea), directed by Seonjae Kim. The reading will be followed by a talkback with the artists, moderated by Frank Hentschker.
Highway 7
by Haeyoul Bae, directed by Seonjae Kim
Highway 7 addresses the death of a semiconductor factory worker and the suspicious deaths around the military, portraying the lives of those whose paths are inevitably intertwined. The play explores the conflicts, clashes, and transformations between five different characters. It reflects these issues not just as problems of the individuals involved but as realities that we are all facing. The play questions whether we, and the theater itself, can confront victims without being trapped by conventional ideas and without resorting to stereotypes.
▲ FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 1 – 5:00 PM
Kaite O’Reilly (Ireland/UK) – Selected works
Directed by Katie Butler
Featuring Bree Rothbart & Melissa Jennifer Gonzalez
This reading will be followed by a panel discussion on disability and performance.
Saturday, May 3 – 3:00 PM
Kathrine Nedrejord (Norway) – Almost Human
Directed by Seth Bockley
Featuring Jeff Biehl, Michael Darby, Sophia Englesberg, Maude Mitchell, and Cael Sullivan
*Supported by the Norwegian Consulate General in New York.
Saturday, May 3 – 5:30 PM
Christos Panagiotakis (Greece) – The Blood of the Souls the Night Reaps
Directed by April Sweeney
Featuring Kathleen Chalfant, Ben Becher, and Ryan Ruhl
Monday, May 5 – 6:30 PM
Haeyoul Bae (South Korea) – Highway 7
Directed by Seonjae Kim
Featuring Zoe Kim, Jeena Yi, Dave Shih, and Jae Woo
All events are free and first come, first served.
For more information, please visit: www.theSegalCenter.org
▲ Haeyoul Bae
Haeyoul Bae is a celebrated South Korean playwright known for his poetic and socially engaged works. His accolades include the Byuksan Culture Award and the Donga Play Award.
Works include: Highway 7; Stir-Fried Memories with Vienna Sausages; Here, Once, Gaga; Once Upon a Time, There Was an Asian Small-Clawed Otter Living in Seoul City; Temple of April; Saving the Goat; 1994, 2014, and the Space in between; Magnolia Balloon; Dogs Without Masters. Awards include: 2021 Byuksan Culture Awards, Play Award; 2022 Donga Play Awards, Best Play; 2024 New Play Contest by National Theatre Company of Korea, Excellence Award; 2025 Lee Yeong-man Theatrical Awards for Playwright.
▲ Seonjae Kim
Seonjae Kim (sun in the sky + letter j) is a NYC-based director from Seoul, South Korea. Her credits include KPOP (Associate, Broadway), Bald Sisters (Salt Lake Acting Company), Wild Goose Dreams (SpeakEasy Stage Company), The Wolves (Atlantic Acting School), Jar of Fat (Ma-Yi), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Associate, Kennedy Center), and Hot Asian Doctor Husband (Theater Mu). Seonjae created Riot Antigone, a Riot Grrl musical adaptation of Antigone, produced at La MaMa and Ars Nova and published in Reclaiming Greek Drama for Diverse Audiences by Routledge. Seonjae's short film Good Taste premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival before embarking on a national festival tour. She is currently developing Mommy: A One Woman Cho, a solo play written and performed by Margaret Cho. One of Broadway Women Fund’s 2024 list of “Women to Watch.” NYTW Usual Suspect. Graduate of Northwestern University. Find her at @sunintheskyletterj or seonjaekim.com.