Edinburgh Festival 2024 Series - Ep 211: Sell Me: I am From North Korea

Persistent and Nasty

Today Elaine chats with writer and performer Sora Baek about her play Sell Me: I Am From North Korea the true stories of incredibly courageous North Korean women defectors. We chat the creation of the play, the importance of keeping your creativity while being a mother and much more. Sell Me: I am From North Korea - Pleasance Courtyard - Below 31 July - 25 August (not 7, 13, 19, 20) @12:35 (55 mins) Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sell-me-i-am-from-north-korea Sell Me: I am From North Korea SELL ME follows 15-year-old Jisun, a North Korean girl who decides to sell herself to an old Chinese man to make money for her mother’s medication. After risking her life by crossing the Tumen River into China, Jisun learns her malnourished, underdeveloped body is not wanted. She finds herself having to make her own way on the streets, struggling in a merciless foreign land where her very existence is illegal. Inspired by the journeys of many North Korean women defectors, SELL ME portrays the everyday lives and impossible choices made by those living in North Korea, too often overlooked and distorted by Western media. Sora Baek Sora Baek is an award winning actor, playwright, and producer from South Korea. She has been featured on the Korea Times, News 12 NJ, and Voice of America. Select acting theatre credits include: SELL ME: I am from North Korea (the US Capitol Center), The Storm, A Christmas Carol, and Sworn Virgin (NYC and International Tour) with Blessed Unrest and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Calaveras Repertory Theatre). She received a Best Actress Award at the Epidemic Film Festival in San Francisco. Sora has been working with Only Make Believe which brings interactive theatre to children with disabilities over 15 years. *Sora’s grandparents fled the North during the Korean war with her father when he was only four years old. She grew up in a small South Korean town across the river from North Korea, looking out at the empty ghost buildings. Sora’s writing and research into the lives of North Korean defectors were born out of her family’s inability to return home, the pain caused to many innocent families by the war that divided the two countries, and the pain many have since continued to live through. She presents this performance for her father, her grandfather, and all those who cannot go home. Website: http://sorabaek.com/top/ X: @iamsorabaek IG: @iamsorabaek FB: @sorabaek13 EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE 2024 PODCAST & BLOG CALL OUT https://forms.gle/6obqxzCCWyY9aVSS6 10 slots for Scottish Based Artist - There will be 10 episodes dedicated to artist based in Scotland who are taking work to the festival in 2024. Sell Your Show Slots - We will be holiday 2 full day where there will be 10-minute slots to come and chat about your show. The first date will be in the first week of the festival and will be available to be in person or via Zoom. The second date will be in person at a venue in Edinburgh. All details of which will be given closer to the time. Please Note: podcast slots are not assigned on a "first come, first serve" basis. We select podcast guests based on relevance to our listenership. HIPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – [e-mail] Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE WeAudition offer: For 25% off your monthly subscription quote: NASTY25 Backstage Offers: Get a free 12 months Actor Subscription: https://join.backstage.com/persistentnasty-uk-12m-free/