| Synopsis |

Although my mind was greatly disturbed, I could not help thinking of Lilliput. There, the inhabitants called me a Man-Mountain, the most wondrous being ever to have appeared in the world. I could seize the entire fleet of the empire with one hand and accomplished deeds worthy of being recorded in its histories. But here, in the land of the giants, I have become a mere Lilliputian—an utterly insignificant creature. How humiliating this must be for me.
— Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag, Chapter 7

Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical novel that sharply critiques the political and social order of its time and human civilization at large through fantastical adventures. As Swift himself remarked, “The chief end I propose to myself in all my labours is not to divert, but to vex the world,” the novel probes the darker undercurrents of human society beneath the surface of playful adventure.

Composed of four parts, the novel illuminates human nature from shifting perspectives. In Part I, Gulliver mocks the folly of humanity as he witnesses the absurd and meaningless religious conflicts and factional struggles of Lilliput. In Part II, he is cast ashore in Brobdingnag and experiences a dramatic reversal of position. Reduced to an extremely small being, he becomes a toy and a spectacle among giants. With even rats and flies threatening his life, will Gulliver manage to escape the land of the giants unharmed?

⸻

| About the Performance |

If the previous work Gulliverse—winner of the 2022 Dong-A Theatre Award for Best Production—reinterpreted Part I of Gulliver’s Travels (Lilliput) to explore a miniature world inside the smartphone, Gulliverse 2 experimentally reconstructs Part II (Brobdingnag) to shed light on an excessively enlarged, hyper-advanced neoliberal society. The performance is designed so that audiences who have not seen the first installment can fully enjoy the work.

In this production, “giants” dominate contemporary life in multiple forms. Super-high-rise apartment complexes and theme parks take over urban landscapes, while fast food, sports franchises, and financial services encroach upon everyday routines. The power of these giants extends beyond physical space into the depths of individual consciousness, regulating consumption patterns, lifestyles, and even values. Coupled with the development of digital technology, this domination becomes increasingly subtle. The anonymity of the online world appears to grant freedom, yet in reality enables covert control and surveillance through algorithms. Meanwhile, political power that echoes past military regimes urges citizens toward silence and compliance under the veneer of democracy.

Gulliverse 2 stages this reality by borrowing forms from a wide range of media. More than ten episodes—spanning citizen interviews, animation, Takarazuka-style performance, home-shopping broadcasts, cinema, popular music, and sports—translate each medium’s distinct grammar and sensibility into theatrical language. While each episode stands on its own, they are organically interwoven with one another. Like assembling an intricate puzzle, audiences discover hidden connections among the scattered pieces and experience the intellectual pleasure of constructing the work’s larger picture.