The scent of the back alley is ‘hooking’ as if you have entered the era in the play.

2024-04-30 18:31:56

Increase immersion with a performance-matching scent
Popular with young audiences who value ‘experience’

The Charlotte Theater in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where the musical ‘Hedwig’ (pictured above) is being performed, stimulates synesthesia by spraying a sweet scent reminiscent of the ‘back alley pub’ in the theater lobby, which is the setting of the work. The Seoul Metropolitan Theater Company, which performed the play ‘Yon’, created a scent that matched the Nordic forest during a snowstorm and spread it throughout the lobby of the performance hall. Shownote provided by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

On the 16th of last month, at the M Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Jongno-gu, Seoul. As I entered the theater where the play ‘Yon’ was being held, the cold forest scent reached my nose. I could feel the subtle scent of basil and arborvitae, a scent representing the Norwegian forest where the main character of the work, Jon, lives. This was a concentration adjusted by two scent emitting devices in the lobby according to variables such as audience density and number of door openings. A QR code linking to the online program book was imprinted on the poetry paper that the audience could freely take with them, allowing them to continue appreciating the work even after the performance ended.

Recently, the performing arts industry is stimulating the audience’s olfactory senses beyond the visual and auditory senses with scents that match the works and theaters. The musical ‘Secret Garden’ held at the National Jeongdong Theater in Jung-gu, Seoul last year had a delicate scent of flowers and earth spreading throughout the audience every time the door to the garden on stage was opened. After about two months of discussions with a perfume company, a scent that ‘everyone will remember beautifully’ was developed. A medium-sized circulator was used to control air circulation in the theater so that audience members in the back seat could smell the same concentration of scent.

Not only production companies but also theaters began scent marketing. When you enter the Charlotte Theater in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where the musical ‘Hedwig’ is currently being performed, you can smell a sweet yet captivating scent reminiscent of an ‘old back alley pub’. In collaboration with a perfume company, we created a scent for the space where the main character, Hedwig, would have performed. The sweet scent of lavender, musk, and vanilla is sprayed every 2 minutes and 30 seconds from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. using two scenting devices installed in the lobby.

It also creates a scent that represents the theater itself. LG Arts Center Seoul moved to Gangseo-gu, Seoul in 2022 and created a signature scent, ‘136’, with a spicy, woody feel. It is a scent inspired by the ‘Tube’, an oval-shaped passageway in the performance hall designed by architect Tadao Ando. Excluding the auditorium and office space, it is sprayed through the building’s internal air conditioning system for about 12 hours starting at 11 a.m. every day, centered around the tube. It is also produced as products such as candles and air fresheners and sold at theaters.

This is to increase the audience’s immersion in the performance through scent and to keep the afterglow for a long time. Director Lee Ki-bum, who directed ‘The Secret Garden,’ said, “The work feels much more vivid when you use another sense like a 4DX movie,” and added, “Unlike normal performances that focus on sight and hearing, we create a fantastic immersive experience through the sense of smell.” “I wanted to provide it,” he said. “It is part of a way for audiences who are not fanatics to enjoy and remember the performance,” said Sein Yoon, head of the performance business team at Lotte Cultureworks, which operates the Charlotte Theater. “Through scent, we can strengthen the perception that the theater is not just a place to just watch a performance.” did.

Scent marketing in the performing arts industry was driven by the perception that ‘experience elements must be strengthened’ to attract young audiences who value unique experiences. Park Ji-hwan, producer of the Seoul Metropolitan Theater Company, which produced the play ‘Yon,’ said, “I thought that good works alone were not enough to satisfy today’s audience.” He added, “Starting with the play ‘Yon,’ we plan to produce customized scents for all three of the remaining works this year.” . Kim Ji-in, head of the LG Arts Center public relations and marketing team, explained, “We strengthened the synesthetic elements by taking advantage of the genre’s characteristic of ‘real-timeness’ so that coming to the performance hall itself would be an enjoyable experience.”

Theater critic Lee Eun-kyung said, “As the proportion of young audiences in the MZ generation is increasing, attempts are being made to actively link audiences and performances, such as immersive performances,” adding, “Scent marketing is also an example of this. “Changes are taking place in the form of the performance hall and the way it is used,” he said.

Reporter Lee Ji-yoon [e-mail]

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2024-04-30 18:31:56