[News Culture] For aspiring musical performers, talent is only part of the equation. Finding a stage on which that talent can actually be seen can be just as difficult—particularly for actors without established credits, professional training or industry connections. A new competition from arts audition platform OMONA is designed to lower that barrier.
The platform will launch the 2026 OMONA Musical League, an open competition that places less emphasis on résumé and background than on what participants can deliver in performance.
The project follows the 2025 OMONA Live Festa, which centered on live performance, and the 2025 OMONA Film Festival, which presented actors through filmed work. Earlier this year, the platform also held the 2026 OMONA Monologue Festival, continuing its effort to create different entry points for performers seeking opportunities to be seen.
Unlike auditions built around specific professional qualifications, the Musical League is open regardless of age, academic major or performance history. Participants enter individually, placing experienced stage actors and newcomers who have yet to test themselves professionally within the same competition framework.
That principle extends to the first round of judging. Video submissions will be accepted from Oct. 1 through 21, followed by two rounds of screening to determine who advances to the live final.
Each audition video must be filmed in a single, uninterrupted take without editing. Rather than allowing multiple shots or post-production to refine a performance, the format is intended to capture a participant’s singing and acting as they are delivered in real time.
Song choice is similarly broad. Contestants may perform either musical theater numbers or popular songs, with Korean-language vocals required. The format leaves room for participants to choose material that best suits their voice and performance style rather than restricting them to a narrow musical theater repertoire.
The competition will culminate in a live final on Dec. 7 at TOV, a performance venue in Seoul’s Gangnam District. That transition from recorded audition to live performance is central to the format, giving finalists the opportunity to move beyond the camera and present their work directly to an audience.
The judging panel brings together performers and creatives with extensive musical theater experience. Actress Choi Jung-won, director Lee Jae-eun, actor Michael K. Lee and music director Cheon Jung-hoon will serve as judges.
Choi has appeared in major Korean productions including Chicago, Mamma Mia! and 42nd Street. Lee Jae-eun has directed Korean productions of titles including Mamma Mia!, Rent, Matilda, Billy Elliot and Hairspray.
Michael K. Lee has built a career across Korean and international stages with credits including Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar and Notre-Dame de Paris. Cheon began working as a musical director with Evita in 2011 and has since overseen the music for major productions including Rebecca and Hero.
OMONA’s progression from live performance and film to monologues and now musical theater reflects a broader approach to connecting performers with audiences and industry professionals. Rather than treating the conventional theater audition as the only route onto a stage, the platform has experimented with video, solo performance and competition formats as different ways for actors to present their work.
The Musical League follows the same approach. Its value is not limited to the final ranking: for some participants, the submission may serve as a first formal audition; for others, the live final could provide a chance to put a name and face to years of training.
Applications for the 2026 OMONA Musical League will be accepted from Oct. 1 through 21. Following the preliminary rounds, selected performers will advance to the Dec. 7 final at TOV in Seoul.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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