For some, going to see a show is just a light way to pass the time.
For others, it's a force powerful enough to make them book a plane ticket on a whim and wander the night streets of an unfamiliar city.
All around the world, there are people bound together by nothing but a love of the stage.
They're the members of HereWeAre Theater Club — HTC for short, a global community of performance lovers.
Different time zones, different distances, but the same overwhelming feeling a great show leaves behind — we listened in as these members shared it with one another.
Here are the stories of three people passionately mapping out their own theater-going journeys, from the Netherlands to New York and beyond.
#1. Seoyoung in the Netherlands: "Pack Light, Love Heavy"
The first person we met is Seoyoung, a student currently studying in the Netherlands.
Head over heels for both theater and ballet, she had no shortage of jaw-dropping "fan moments" to share.
There was something about her — someone who packs a light bag and casually crosses borders — that radiated the aura of a true professional theatergoer.
Q. What's the biggest difference between watching shows abroad and in Korean theaters?
A. "The biggest difference is definitely that you can eat and drink during intermission!
Beyond that, the audience tends to skew older, and large-scale musicals often run for a much longer stretch."
Q. Even with all the charm of European theaters, is there ever a moment you miss Korea's theatergoing culture?
A. "What I've missed most is the culture of chatting with people online and offline about the show right after it ends."
Maybe it's to make up for that longing — but her passion for theater knows no borders.
She laughed it off casually as she described booking flights to see War Horse in London and The Phantom of the Opera in Vienna, which is closing this month.
She's even flown back to Korea for just five days solely to see the play Mouthpiece, and back home she's watched as many as four shows in a single day, or hopped between Seoul and the provinces just to catch performances.
Living in Europe makes it easy to take short trips to cities famous for musicals, but as she puts it, the real driving force is a devotion so deep she's willing to "give up other things — money and time — just to see a show."
Q. What kind of change has being part of HTC brought to someone like you?
A. "Before, I was too lazy to do much more than save a photo of the poster on an app called 'Plaap.'
Looking back, I really regret that. But since I started using the HereWeAre app, I've made it a habit to leave at least a short video or a few words of my thoughts.
If I don't post anything, it feels like something's missing, so I always end up writing at least a couple of lines.
One time, a little post of mine actually got shared on the production company's Instagram Story, and friends reached out to me after seeing it. It made me really proud to think that someone out there might have gotten interested in the show because of what I wrote."
💡 What does HereWeAre mean to you? "A theater diary app — and a two-for-one deal!" Right now I mostly use it as my own personal record of the shows I've seen, but I hope it grows into a lively app where people can go even deeper with each other's reviews down the line, and even find like-minded theater buddies.
#2. Yoondoit in the Netherlands: "Handing Over an Entire Vacation to the Stage"
The second person we spoke with, also based in the Netherlands like our first guest, Yoondoit.
Having settled in the small town of Fijnaart to pursue in-depth agricultural studies, she makes time between her studies
— worlds away from theater — to visit the local playhouses, harvesting a little unfamiliar inspiration from her life abroad.
Q. You visit local theaters often — what differences have you noticed compared to theaters in Korea?
A. "There's a lot to observe and enjoy — the atmosphere on stage, the set design, the costumes, the acting style, and more.
Above all, that distinctly Dutch 'free and open' vibe really comes through in the performances.
The actors seem to sing and dance with a certain freedom you don't always see elsewhere.
My all-time favorite was Hadestown, which I saw at the Royal Theater Carré in Amsterdam — I was completely swept away by how deep and detailed the staging felt.
On top of that, ticketing here is far less competitive than in Korea, and it's cheaper too."
Q. Even so, there must have been moments you were desperate for a Korean show. I hear you have quite the epic 'fan moment' to prove it. A. "Since performances here are often in Dutch, it can be hard to follow everything a hundred percent,
so I really missed being able to fully enjoy a show in Korean.
So when I went back to Korea for a two-week vacation, I ended up spending an entire day of that precious trip just watching a Korean musical.
For anyone living abroad, two weeks back home is usually packed to the brim — but even so, I just couldn't give up the theater."
Q. As paper tickets become rarer and rarer, HTC seems to play a big role in how you keep your own records these days. A. "Exactly. I used to always paste my paper tickets into a diary as a way of keeping records,
but now that almost everything has switched to e-tickets, that's been a real loss for me.
But with HereWeAre, I get to save my thoughts and highlights from a show along with photos, and share and connect with people all over the world — it's honestly a lot of fun.
To me, HereWeAre literally means 'here we are!' The moment I log on, all the show news and artist information I care about is right there waiting for me."
💡 What does HereWeAre mean to you? "Literally, 'Here we are!'" The moment I open the app, I can share what I think about the shows I care about, and find all kinds of information on artists and shows from all over the world in one place. I really love that.
#3. Linda Han in New York: "An Ordinary Office Worker by Day, a Stage Dreamer by Night"
Our final guest is Linda Han, a New Yorker/New Jerseyan three years into her career as an office worker.
She's someone with a fascinating story — having loved the stage since childhood but set that dream aside for practical reasons,
she's now letting it bloom again in the very heart of musical theater: New York.
Q. "An office worker who dreams of the stage" is such a striking way to describe yourself — working by day and chasing romance by night!
A. "Living life as an office worker, everything gets busy so fast that at some point life started to feel monotonous.
I found myself thinking, 'I'm here in New York right now — shouldn't I at least try this once?' So I started taking acting classes and vocal lessons.
It's a race against the clock, but the process of learning something new genuinely makes me happy.
I work as an office employee by day, and by night I keep preparing and dreaming of the day I'll meet an audience on stage — whether that's on Broadway or on screen."
Q. I hear you're also enjoying the freewheeling atmosphere unique to American theaters. Is there a particular Korean show you find yourself missing?
A. "I haven't gotten to see it in person, but whenever I watch YouTube Shorts or read reviews,
Korean original musicals make me want to see them so badly.
It's especially tough when I can't catch a production starring actor Jeong Taek-woon, who I'm a huge fan of."
Even though she admits she's afraid to go out alone at night, she named her proudest "fan moment" as the time she trembled with nerves but still made her way, alone, to catch a West End show during a brief trip to London — she simply had to see it.
Someone who watches theater with that much heart naturally has her own distinctive way of keeping records, too.
Right after a show, she fills her phone's notes app with dense, detailed impressions, and once she's home, she reorganizes them all over again in an analog journal.
Through her HTC activity, she says she now gets to experience "the joy of discovery" — encountering a wide range of perspectives from people around the world, digitally, all in one place.
Q. Now that you're in New York, is there a show you'd strongly recommend to other audiences?
A. "I'm a die-hard Harry Potter fan, so I'd absolutely recommend Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the original films, is currently in the cast, which makes it an especially special experience for any Harry Potter fan. Broadway's big, dazzling shows are wonderful, of course, but if you get the chance, I'd really encourage you to take a chance on some of the hidden gems off-Broadway too."
💡 What does HereWeAre mean to you? "A joyful kind of learning — the joy of discovery" It's a place where people who share the same hobby and interests can exchange their experiences and encounter all kinds of perspectives in one spot. To me, it's not just a space for activity — it's a place where we enjoy things together, learn together, and broaden our horizons together.
#Epilogue: Connected by Records
A show disappears the moment the curtain falls, but the loving record of what happened on that stage can last far longer.
People who choose to capture a fleeting moment of art in words, photos, and video find one another on HereWeAre.
For them, HereWeAre Theater Club (HTC) is more than just a recording app — it's a space that bridges stages all over the world, crossing time zones and borders alike.
The records these people diligently gather — moments of emotion that would otherwise scatter and disappear — reach beyond the threshold of a physical theater,
building a new world where encounters and creativity keep on going.
Where will these curious audiences, who broaden their horizons by sharing their differences, head to next?
As long as there are people willing to give their time and their hearts to remembering the stage, the theater inside all of us will always keep its light burning bright.