This marks the 10th year since she first played the role

Dramatic actress Sohn Sook will star again in “The Mother” to be staged at Lee Hae Rang Arts Theater for a month from April 25.

When the play premiered in 1999, Sohn promised to play the same role consecutively for the next 20 years, and she has kept her word now for the 10 years since. Just what has made this role so special to her?

“It just strikes a chord with actors as well as viewers. The mother portrayed here is no different from our own mothers, so everyone can easily sympathize with her,” said Sohn. “I hope the play provides viewers with comfort and a chance to think about the meaning of family at this difficult time.”

The witty yet heartbreaking play takes a look at the life of a mother who must endure trials and tribulations -- the unfaithfulness of her husband, harsh treatment by her in-laws and the death of her children -- living through the period from the Japanese colonization to the Korean War and the division of the country. Unfolding in recollections and monologues, the story is also an effective presentation on modern Korean history.

“It alternates between the real world and the imaginary world in the mother’s recollection. It’s like a beautiful fairy tale but shows the heart-rending life of a mother,” the veteran actress said. “It will make us realize that it is our mothers who helped us get to where we are now and gave us courage to overcome any obstacles.”

The play was inspired by the true story of director Lee Yoon-taek’s mother, but Sohn said all other mothers must have lived as hard a life at that time, remarking, “It’s exactly the story of my mother, too. That may be why I get to think about my deceased mother a lot more when I appear in it.”

“I once performed the play in my hometown, Milyang, South Gyeongsang Province," she said. "During the performance, I thought I saw my deceased mother sitting among the audience. I don’t remember how I acted after that. I have never cried that much and felt so emotional in my life before or since. It was the first time I had ever experienced such a vision. I believe my mother was really there to see my first performance in my hometown.”

Sohn said that her mother--from a noble family--opposed her being an actress, so she hardly watched her plays. “She was ashamed of her daughter being an actress, so she didn’t watch my plays until much later. But she told me that I was the most beautiful on the stage even when I played a minor part. I regret that I cannot show her ‘The Mother.’”