The first performance of Madangnoli took place in 1981, and this year is its 30th anniversary. It has been staged over a period of one generation that is never short, but it seems that studies of Madangnoli are still in the rudimentary stage. As for ...
The first performance of Madangnoli took place in 1981, and this year is its 30th anniversary. It has been staged over a period of one generation that is never short, but it seems that studies of Madangnoli are still in the rudimentary stage. As for the reason, it seems to be considered vulgar in comparison with Madanggeuk, and the findings of studies of the past generations are just accepted without making any further attempt to explore the significance of Madangnoli itself. The purpose of this study was to examine the history and performance of Madangnoli over the past three decades, which has been created to step up the transmission of tradition in conjunction with contemporary circumstances. And it's also meant to discuss the cultural and artistic value and commercial potentials of Madangnoli.
After the concept of Madangnoli was redefined, how that was generated was investigated. The Madang of Madangnoli doesn't have a mere spatial meaning. That is a space of communication necessary for becoming human. And the Noli of Mandangnoli has a meaning of exchange and communication, in which every member participates together. Therefore Madangnoli could be defined as a dramatic mode to stir up exchange and genuine communication among community members through entertainment in a public place called Madang.
Existing studies had a tendency to view Madangnoli as having its origin in Talchum(mask dance), but this perspective is not good enough to explain the generation of Madangnoli properly. In this study, it's suggested that Pungmulgus might be another origin of Madangnoli.
Madangnoli was compared to Madanggeuk in an attempt to have a more accurate understanding of Madangnoli. Both were created in an effort to overcome political suppression through culture in the 1970s and the 1980s. Although the two were similar modes, their orientation was totally different due to the gaps in their concepts and purposes. Nonetheless, there were a lot of similarities between the two in terms of form such as elimination of temporal and spatial restrictions, the concept of Madang, communication with an audience, dramatic structure, the typicalness of characters, and the use of dance and music. Of course, there were differences as well as similarities between the two.
The history of Madangnoli was divided in this study into three different periods, and the characteristics and works of Madangnoli were investigated in each period. The first period was between 1981 and 1988, and the performance style of Madangnoli was established in this period. The second period was between 1989 and 2000, which could be called a period of trial. The third period was between 2001 and the present time, which could be called a period of restoration. While Madangnoli passed through the three periods, the parody of Pansori, Pansori-related novels and classical novels took place, and the Western classics was used as subject matters of Madangnoli in a unique Korean way. This fact shows the possibility that Madangnoli could make inroads onto the world stage as one of Korean performing arts.
The nature of Madangnoli is commercial due to its origin, but it's discussed in this study that it is likely to be entrenched as one of cultural products in the modern cultural industry. Madangnoli is possible to become a Korean-style musical in that it seeks after the creative transmission of tradition, and it is possible to be well received on the world stage in that it is received by domestic spectators. To make it happen, however, there are several problems that should be resolved. As Madangnoli is definitely one of the most promising cultural products, sustained assistance should be provided for that to become one of Korea's representative products.