IntroductionKorean drama has its origins in prehistoric religious rites, while music and dance play an integral role in all traditional theatrical performances. A good example of this classical theatrical form is the masked dance called
sandaenori or
talchum, a combination of dance, song and narrative punctuated with satire and humor. Slightly varying from one region to another in terms of style, dialogue and costume, it enjoyed remarkable popularity among rural people until the early 20th century.
Pansori, the lengthy narrative songs based on popular tales, and
kkokdugaksinoreum or puppet plays, performed by vagabond artists, also drew large audiences. The shamanistic rituals known as
gut were another form of religious theater that appealed to the populace. All these performances are presented nowadays, too, though not very often.
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A performance of Pansori, dramatic narrative song |
There are a few institutions that offer various performing arts in one place, an example of this being Jeong-dong Theater in central Seoul, that presents a traditional performing arts series, drama and music.
The first performance of
singeuk (new drama), a departure from the masked dance and other forms of traditional dramas, was presented in December 1902. However, modern drama began to take firm root in the 1910s after the first Western-style theater was opened in Seoul in 1908. The theater named Wongaksa was in operation until November 1909.
Theatrical groups Hyeoksindan and Munsuseong were also organized by those who returned from study in Japan and staged
sinpa (new wave) dramas.
Sinpa was a concept that countered
gupa (old wave) drama, meaning
kabuki of Japan.
Sinpa dramas first dealt with political and military themes and then were diversified into detective stories, soap operas and tragedies.
While
sinpa dramas proved to be a passing fad, a genuine new wave of dramas was promoted by artists who rallied around Wongaksa and raised the curtain of modern drama. In 1922, Towolhoe, a coterie of theatrical figures, was formed, and led the drama movement across the country, staging as many as 87 performances. Drama remained popular until the 1930s, but then subsided in the socio-political turmoil of the 1940s and 1950s. In the following decade, it was further weakened amidst the boom of motion pictures and the emergence of television.
In the 1970s, a number of young artists began to study and adopt the styles and themes of traditional theatrical works like the masked dance plays, shaman rituals and
pansori. The Korean Culture and Arts Foundation has been sponsoring an annual drama festival to encourage local theatrical performances. At present, a great number of theatrical groups are active around the year, featuring all manners of genres from comedy to historical epics at small theaters along Daehangno Street in downtown Seoul. Some theatrical performances become very successful and are staged for extended runs.
Drama of Early DaysKorean drama had its origin in the religious rites of prehistoric days. During
the Silla Kingdom, dance movements and musical accompaniment were developed
into a kind of drama called
Cheoyong. The
Cheoyong, as described
in historical records, was not drama in the strict definition of the term. Even
though it included dramatic elements that followed a distinct narrative story
line, it was also made up of a series of dramatic dances. Besides
Cheoyong,
there were several other such performances for royal and popular entertainment,
but once again, primary emphasis was placed upon dance movements with music
accompaniment which separates them from being considered a true drama in general
understanding of the word.
Dancing with musical accompaniment has always been important in Korean classical
performances regardless of their official designation as dance or drama. The
sandae drama of the Goryeo Dynasty which succeeded Silla contains more definite
dramatic elements than the
Cheoyong. It was performed on stage by masked
actors following a script with a story and occasional spoken lines. Dances and
songs dominated the play. The
sandae was further developed during the
Joseon Dynasty when it became one of the official functions of the court. Eventually,
it lost royal patronage and became entertainment for the common people. This
most representative of Korean classic dramas found wide popular acceptance,
as the subjugated masses of agrarian Korean society found solace in the humorous,
satirical mask dramas that ridiculed the privileged classes - Buddhist priests
and the
yangban aristocrats.
Besides the shows described above, there were other dramatic forms of popular
entertainment, such as puppet plays, acrobatic clowning, the
Ogwangdae,
the
Byeolsin-gut (in the nature of a shamanistic ritual), and the
Bongsan
mask dance. All such classic entertainments, however, declined with the
introduction of Western culture in the 20th century.
Western Influences
The introduction of Western-style productions on the classic scene became a
definite trend in 1908, when the
Won-gaksa Company (1908-1909) began
using the
Huidae Theater, the first national theater, which opened in
1902. It eventually became known as the
Won-gaksa Theater. Until that
time, entertainers had been without a theater and had to present their works
either on a makeshift stage or in any village square large enough to accommodate
a crowd.
The introduction of Western-style shows produced increasing interest in "new
drama" which, in contrast to the traditional "old drama" with its stress on
music and dancing, relied almost exclusively on spoken dialogue. Less serious
in its artistic standards but more popular with less sophisticated audiences
were the "new-school plays" with their romantic stories of handsome heroes and
beautiful heroines. Drama became so popular in the 1930s that many amateur groups
competed with the professionals. Especially noteworthy was the contribution
of college groups.
World War II caused a temporary setback, followed by the Korean War, which proved
even more disastrous for all segments of Korean society. A postwar boom in the
motion picture industry brought further discouragement to attempts by theater
performers to stage a comeback. The rapid spread of television and its popular
appeal followed. As a result, dramatic works for the most part have recently
featured performances in small theaters or restaurants with a limited following.
In the 1980s, however, experimental drama emerged and has been highly popular
since, especially among young people.