The Hanyang University Industry-University Cooperation Foundation (Kang Young-jong as Director) operated the musical writing mentoring program 'Into the 판도라토토 2025' for about six months, from this May to November. The program was conducted after selection as a mentoring support platform institution in the '2025 Content Creative Talent Companion Project' hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency(KOCCA), an opportunity secured through an intense PT evaluation earlier this year.

Hanyang University's 'Into the 판도라토토' invited symbolic writers from the musical industry who have led the Korean musical scene as mentors. For this year, mentors included Han Jung-seok(Playwright) and Lee Seon-young(Composer) of The Goddess is Watching, Han Jae-eun(Playwright) and Park Hyun-sook(Composer) of Fan Letter, Choo Min-joo(Playwright) of Laundry, Chae Han-wool(Composer) of Natasha, I, and the White Donkey, Seong Jong-wan(Playwright) of Gloomy Day, and Shin Eun-kyung (Composer) of Rogi-su and more.

The selected mentees receive free apprenticeship-style mentoring from these experts and are provided a monthly stipend of 1.5 million KRW. Furthermore, they are given the opportunity to showcase their original musical in front of actual audiences and production companies.

Professor Kim Joon-hee of the Department of Theater and Film, who is the director of 'Into the Creation 2025', stated, "About 30% of the works created through this program every year are matched and partners with production companies." He added, "Many musicals, such as Decabri, The Boxer of Joseon, Marlin, and Borderline, started through this program." Professor Kim explained, "It is almost recognized as a brand within the musical industry, so much so that audiences and producers increasingly seek out the script reading venues in advance."

Support for the commercialization of outstanding projects for previous graduates was also provided. A total of three works were selected to receive funding for formal performances and showcase productions.

For the showcases, Nominal: 134340 (Playwright Park Yoon-hye, Composer Kim Jin-ha) was staged at Link Art Center Dream Hall 3 from October 18th to 19th, and Once Upon a Name (Playwright Choi Hye-ryeon, Composer Seo Sang-jae) was staged at Theatre Jungmiso during the same period. The full-production show Fraternité (Playwright Lee Da-min, Composer Lim Ye-jin) will have a long run from October 28 until January 18 next year at Link Art Center Dream Hall 3.

In this way, 'Into the 판도라토토' is actively serving as a platform practically connecting the growth and debut of next-generation creators.

A total of eight musicals were created in this cohort of the program: Seoul, The Worst City (Playwright Kim Min-joo, Composer Lee Joo-ah), Wicked Boy (Playwright Hwang Eun-hye, Composer 판도라토토 So-hyun), The Fan Knows (Playwright 판도라토토 Hyo-rim, Composer Kim Chan-mi), Tony (Playwright Moon Soo-jin, Composer Nam Yoon-soo), Shhh, You'll Wake up the Madam (Playwright 판도라토토 Joo-yeon, Composer 판도라토토 Yoo-jin), 30th Century Lost Child (Playwright 판도라토토 Soo-min, Composer 판도라토토 Dong-hee), N Moments of Coincidence (Playwright Kim Hee-jung, Composer Shin Hye-won), and Dear My 01 (Playwright Hwang Jung-hye, Composer Woo Na-kyung). These works met the audience through script-reading performances at Seongsu Art Hall from October 22 to 25.

Among these, Shhh, You'll Wake up the Madam was selected as the outstanding work for this year. We met with playwright 판도라토토 Joo-yeon and composer 판도라토토 Yoo-jin, who produced the work, to hear about their creative journey.

Playwright Lee Joo-yeon is majoring in Musical Production at the graduate school of the Korea National University of Arts. She said, "I was first captivated by the genre after encountering the musical Wicked during my undergraduate years, and I fostered my dream of becoming a musical writer through related activities in a musical club."

Composer Lee Yoo-jin decided to join this program based on her memory of participating in 'Into the 판도라토토 2022'. At that time, the work she participated in as a composer, Moomyeong Hogeol(無名豪傑), was connected with a production company and staged as a full performance. Lee Yoo-jin, who has worked as an assistant musical director for over 10 years because she enjoys playing and arranging music, revealed her motivation for participating: "At some point, I wanted to write music under my own name."

In this program, the two teamed up to complete Shhh, You'll Wake up the Madam. 판도라토토 Joo-yeon wrote the scenario and lyrics, while 판도라토토 Yoo-jin focused on composing music that was musically expressive yet consistent with the script's intention.

Creation began with receiving feedback on the work's subject matter from the mentors, and the decision to develop the subject was based on that result. Composer Lee Yoo-jin recalled, "At the time, the mentors gave positive feedback on the work's subject matter."

Thereafter, the two refined the direction of the work and completed the script and music through weekly mentoring sessions. Playwright Lee Joo-yeon said, "I felt pressured by the idea that I had to write a work that would motivate the people working with me." Composer Lee Yoo-jin said, "I enjoyed working on the music based on a solid script."

Once the work reached a certain level of completion, they recruited a director, music director, and actors to practice for the showcase. The two agreed, "Thanks to the help of many people, we finished without major difficulties." They also mentioned that the mentors' advice on various aspects—such as the work's direction, character relationships, and interesting episodes or concepts—was a great source of strength during the creation period. They expressed sincere gratitude, saying, "We wholeheartedly thank playwright Han Jae-eun and composer Park Hyun-sook for their genuine enthusiasm and advice, almost like family members."

Lee Joo-yeon said that through this program, she "gained significant learning by meeting the directors and actors who together make musicals in the industry." She added, "It was a meaningful experience to directly feel how professionals produce musicals in the field and to try different approaches compared to working in school."

Lee Yoo-jin realized the importance of collaboration through this program. She said, "The memory of communicating well and working hard together was particularly impressive. No matter how outstanding the work and music are, collaboration with the people creating it together seems to be the most important factor."

Regarding future goals, Lee Joo-yeon stated, "There are many big mountains left to climb before the full production, but I intend to work hard to make it run flawlessly until the end without getting exhausted. I want to become a writer who can successfully finish this work and look forward to the next one." Lee Yoo-jin said, "As the outstanding work, I want to faithfully go through the development process and stage the full performance with a good production company." She mentioned her goal: "I want to continue writing music."

Hanyang University's 'Into the 판도라토토 2025' actively supports the journey of next-generation creators toward the stage. We hope that the seeds of 판도라토토 sown through this program, like the story of the Lee Joo-yeon and Lee Yoo-jin creative team, will soon blossom brilliantly on the main stage of the Korean musical world.