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A Study on the Influence of Pursuit of ‘Korean Style Theater' on Playwriting of Kim Myung-Kon's Plays

Suk Kyung Kim 1

1경성대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Many directors and play writers have pursued ‘Korean style theater’ since 1970's. The purpose of this paper is to examine Myung Kon Kim who has pursued ‘Korean style theater’. Myung Kon Kim is a playwriter and director and one of the representative writers who have created ‘Korean style theater’ since 1980's. I make, his early works, “Kabose Kabose”, “Jum-a Jum-a Konjum-a”, “Kyek-jung-man-ri” an objects of this study. His initial interests of ‘Korean style’ originated in the Ma-Dang-Kuek Movement. Ma-Dang-Kuek was handed down by the success of Tal-Chum(Mask play). He transformed Ma-Dang-Kuek into the style on the stage theater. The materials of his plays are basically focused to social subjects and historical matters of Korea like Dong-Hak revolution, Gyang-Ju demonstration, The Korean War, the division of Korean and unification of North and South, and Korean theater history. He often applies the plot of epic theater and Ma-Dang-Kuek. In the aspects of plots, the quality is not so excellent, because the principles of theater on the stage and Ma-Dang-Kuek clashsed in his works. Moreover he intends to put too many materials, stories, and characters into a play. Therefore it is not easy to communicate the message of the play. He cares much for ‘theatrical ways’ in writing and directing, which are movement, song and dance, the participation of the audience, play within the play, masks and dress, and spectacle. He takes good ideas on theatrical ways from traditional drama and culture like the technique of traditional theater and play, Pan-So-ri and Korean folk songs, traditional dance, original korean objects and dress. The theatrical ways cover the problems of the writing in the performance and make the audience feel easy. However the misapplication and frequent insertion of theatrical ways make a paly worse and complicated. In this case, Myung Kon Kim may cause misunderstanding that he intends to depend on the formal and easygoing way in creating ‘Korean style theater’.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.