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When she launched the programme for this year's Edinburgh International Festival in April – her first as artistic director – Nicola Benedetti identified three themes running through it, all drawn from the writings of Martin Luther King: community over chaos; hope in the face of adversity; and a perspective that’s not one’s own. In selecting the features for this supplement, then, we've tried to focus on events that speak strongly to one or more of these themes.

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea will certainly offer a novel perspective on Euripdes’ tragedy Trojan Women. In his interview with David Kettle on page 6, the production’s director Ong Keng Sen explains how the Korean changgeuk tradition, while similar in some respects to Western opera, aims to sustain “deep emotionalism… non-stop across the whole show.” Meanwhile, on page 4, dancers Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo tell Kelly Apter they had to work hard to understand each other’s highly individual perspectives on dance in order to create their new work, common ground(s).

National Changgeuk Company of Korea perform Trojan Women

Cécile McLorin Salvant's song cycle Ogresse draws on the story of a South African woman who was exhibited in European freakshows in the 19th century. It is, she tells Fiona Shepherd on page 10, “a story that shook me to my core” – and one which also ties in with the hope in the face of adversity theme. Speaking of which, there can be few plays which explore the intersection of hope and adversity as viscerally as Pedro Calderón’s Life is a Dream, staged at the festival by Cheek by Jowl. Joyce McMillan interviews director Declan Donnellan on this spread.

Finally, on page 8, conductor Iván Fischer talks to Ken Walton about his plans for fostering a sense of community at the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s concerts through “meaningful contact with the audience”. Beanbags to sit on are only the start of it.

Edinburgh International Festival preview supplement: E-mag