한국계 미국 대표 극작가와 그 작품세계

이미원 ( Mee Won Lee ) 한국연극학회 2009 한국연극학 Vol.0 No.37

This essay will explore the representative Korean American playwrights and their plays. The rise of Korean American playwrights is closely related with the rise of Asian American theatres. East West Players is the first Asian American theatre started in the 1960s. After this group, other groups were founded such as Asian American Theatre Company in San Francisco, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in New York, and Northwest Asian American Theatre in Seattle. All these groups aim to promote Asian American plays and to produce them. Nowadays more Asian American companies such as Lodestone Theatre Ensemble based on Korean in L.A area, Ma-Yi Theatre based on Filipinos in New York, Silk Road Theatre Project in Chicago, Mu Performing Arts in Minneapolis, Asian American Repertory Theatre in San Diego, and Second Generation in New York are working for Asian American theatre. Soon-Taek Oh joined the East West Players as one of founders. He regarded himself as an actor, but he also wrote plays in English. When the East West Players received funds from the Ford foundation, he suggested a Playwriting Contest every year and won the first prize with the play titled Tondemonai-Never Happen in 1970. Many Asian American playwrights such as Frank Chin and Edward Sakamoto came to be known through this contest. In 1979, Soon-Taek Oh organized the first Korean American theatre group called Korean American Theater Ensemble and produced the bilingual(Korean and English) play of Have You Heard. Indeed, he was the first generation of Korean American playwrights. The representatives of the 2nd generation playwrights are Sung Rno, Diana Son, Philip Chung, and Julia Cho. Sung Rno is probably the first playwright widely known to Asian and American main stream theatre. Debuted with Cleveland Raining in 1994, he continues to write many plays such as Gravity Falls from Trees, wAve, and Yi Sang Counts to Thirteen. All his plays are related to and reflect Korean culture. Diana Son`s plays speak for the women of color. Her representative plays are R.A.W.(Cause I`m a Woman), Boy, Stop Kiss, and Satellites. All her plays convey minority women`s social protest and reveal their perspectives, though there is some reflection of Korean culture. For example, in Stop Kiss, the prejudice toward Lesbian is well portrayed. Philip Chung tends to be more Korean ethnic playwright than any other playwrights. He also represents the west coast and produces most of his play though Lodestone Theatre Ensemble, the only Korean American theatre group today. The plays such as Yellow Face, Home is where the Han is, Asiatik Nation heavily reflect the ethnic history and its problems. However, Chung also writes plays that are not ethnic based. Julia Cho, the youngest among the four, writes plays about Korean Americans mingled into the American society. Her representative plays are 99 Histories, B.F.E., The Architecture of Loss, and Durango. She is a talented narrator and freely interweaves memories and facts regardless of the chronological time structure of her plots. In B.F.E., the Weissberger Award play of 2004, she portrays the Korean Americans who are outside of American norm of beauty and protests against it. In addition to these playwrights, Iloyd Suh of the 2nd generation group and Edward Bok Lee in Minneapolis are fairly well known, and Jean Yoon, Kimber Lee, Kyong Park are newly emerging to recognition. In addition, Nic Cha Kim and Young Jean Lee are noteworthy for their new trends of plays. Nic Cha Kim portrays the universalities of everyday lives rather than emphasizing the characteristics of Korean American lives, while Young Jean Lee extends the theatrical experiments with exaggerations and satires. All these Korean American playwrights are the diaspora of Korean, and their plays are parts of the globalization of Korean theatre. Exploring their plays would enrich Korean theatre and contribute to true globalization.

김광림 연출론 포스트모던 시대의 새로운 전통 정형화 실험

이미원 ( Mee Won Lee ) 한국연극학회 2012 한국연극학 Vol.1 No.47

Kwanglim Kim has tried to deconstruct Korean traditional theatrical arts and reconstruct them into a new tradition-based theatrical form. In the early stage of his directing, he is a successful director to show western modern techniques of directing such as a play within a play, using narrators, image screening, and musical effects. Although he began his theatrical career as a founder of Yeonyoo theatre, which originated in social oriented Madangguk, he always paid attention to the theatrical form. His calculated intellect directing is very new in the history of Korean directing; he appeals to the reason of audience rather than their emotion. His productions such as An aquarium, The Head of a Dried Pollack, and Come to See Me are well directed, very popular, and awarded by Korean representative theatre prizes. He seems to pay attention to traditional form when he wrote Mr. Hong is Alive, directed by Yoontaek Lee in 1993. Although Lee is one of the best director to apply traditional theatrical heritages to the modern, he rather appeals to emotion and does not pay special attention to the form. Thus, Kim directed his next traditional play, Kogttugaksi, The Traditional Puppet Play, in 1995. He concentrates his directing to make traditional standardizations. Uturi (2002) and The Murder of the President Lee (2010) are the representative of these. His traditional directing methods in order to create a new tradition-based modern form are as follows; 1) Movements and Dances : He basically uses the movements of martial art called Gichonmoon, basic traditional dance and Yangju mask-dance theatre. 2) Jangdan Rhythmic Dialogue : Jangdan are Korean rhythmic beats, and Jandan Rhythmic dialogue, a invention of director Kim, is to speak a sentence within a rhythmic beat. Jangdan Rhythmic Dialogue gives the traditional formalistic frame to his productions. 3) Open theatre space: He basically uses the empty-open place for his theatrical performances like Korean traditional theatres. 4) Sounds and Music: His production accompanies the tradition-based fusion music throughout the play. 5) Reconstruction of various traditional heritages: He de-constructs various traditional theatrical arts and reconstructs them to create new forms. 6) Group Team work: He has continuously done group team works over ten years. All actors, musicians and choreographers are working together since the Dolgoji theatre company was settled in 2002. 7) Process of Directing: Every actor learns the basic dances and movements. Every actor learns the basic traditional musical beats, and practices Jangdan rhythmic dialogue. After these basic training, every scene is practiced. Movements line is mainly decided by a choreographer considering contrast, beats and rhythm. The core concept of directing is the reconstruction of traditional theatrical arts, but the communications with modern audience are heavily considered. Open spaces and natural lights are basically used for the performances. 8) The aesthetics of directing in director`s words: If there is no roots, there is no leaves and flowers, but the root is not seen to our eyes. Uturi and The Murder of the President Lee are examined to see how the above directing methods are applied. Kim makes best use of traditional heritages, but at the same time, tries to keep the sense of modern tastes. He uses the tradition not as the national pride or identity but as a new postmodern directing method. Kim`s calculated new form of traditional heritages is indeed a new experiment in the Korean history of directing.

< 춘향가 > 변주(變奏)에 나타난 한국 사회계층화의 변모

이미원 ( Mee Won Lee ) 한국연극학회 2015 한국연극학 Vol.1 No.57

본고는 <춘향가>의 희곡적 변주(變奏)에 따른 사회계층화를 연구하고자, 고본(古本)인 <남원고사>를 춘향가의 기준으로 삼고, 신재효의 <남창 춘향가>, 일제치하 유치진의 <춘향전>(1936), 이주용의 <탈선 춘향전>(1949, 1951 소설화), 70년대 구상되어서 90년대 발표되었던 <여시아문>, 1980년대 김용락의 <방자놀이>, 1990년대 이근삼의 <춘향아 춘향아>, 2000년대 오태석의 <기생비생 춘향전>, 그리고 2010년대 김현탁의 <열녀춘향>이 어떻게 변주되었나를 살폈다. 조선 말기부터 한국의 포스트모던 시대까지 <춘향가>의 희곡변주는 실로 사회변화를 반영하지 않을 수 없었으며 그 사회계층화를 보여준다. 1930년대 일제 치하의 <춘향전>에서는 정치 문제를 다룰 수 없었던 상황이었기에 고전 <춘향가>에 사실적 묘사를 높이며 ‘평등의식’을 강조하였다. 아직 패러디의 개념이 없었기에 가장 원본을 닮았다고 하겠으니, 정치체제나 경제 및 유학적 배경은 고전 <춘향가>를 따랐다. 해방 후<탈선춘향전>에서는 신분제의 변화는 물론 서민 경제의 변화상을 비롯해서 여성 사회권의 확장과 기독교까지 등장한다. <여시아문>과 <춘향아 춘향아>는 군부독재를 풍자하기 위해 초점을 정치체제와 절대 권력에 맞추고 있다. 고전 <춘향가>는 사랑가가 아닌 현대판 정치극으로 바뀌었으며, 경제는 정치에 종속되며 기타 다른 사회요소들은 관심 밖이었다. <방자놀이>는 현대의 문란한 성(性)을 풍자하는데 고전 <춘향가>를 활용하였다. 새밀레니엄 이후 <기생비생춘향전>이나 <열녀춘향>은 개인의 자아 확립이나 성적 판타지에 맞추었다. 구체적인 정치. 경제 상황이 언급되기보다 한 개별적 인간의 성숙에 초점을 맞춘다. 고전 <춘향가>의 아우라를 힘입었을뿐, 개인이 강조되고 정치·사회적 계층화의 문제는 논외였다 하겠다. 이렇듯이 <춘향가> 변주 희곡들은 그 변주 자체가 각 사회상의 강조점을 조명했다. 사회계층이 브르디외의 주장처럼 문화의 아비투스까지를 포함한다고 할 때, 변주 희곡들은 사회 계층화의 변화를 잘 반영하고있다. 처음에는 신분의 계층화를 타파하려는 노력에서 시작하여, 새 밀레니엄에 와서는 개인의 부각을 충실히 보여주기 때문이다. 지고한 사랑과 신분 상승이라는 <춘향가>의 아우라는 변주 희곡들에서 자유롭게 해석되며 각 시대를 반영하여 오늘의 춘향으로 새롭게 해석되었다. There have been multiple theatrical variations of Choonhyangga, a timeless classic. These variations show us the social stratifications over 100 years. The variations of Namwon-Gosa [between 1864 and 1869] is considered the original version of Choonhyangga, with numerous variations such as Shin Jaehyo’s Namchang Choonhyangga in (1869), Yoo Chijin’s Choonhyangjun in (1936), Lee Juyong’s Erratic Choonhyang (1949, 1951), Jang Yoonwhan’s Yeosiamun that was conceptualized in the 1970s and published in the 1990s, Kim Yongrak’s BangjaNori in the 1980s, Lee Geonsam’s Choonhyang, Choonhyang in the 1990s, O Taesok’s Giseng-Biseng Choonhyangjun in 2000, and Kim Hyuntak’s Yolyeo Choonhyang in 2013. These variations differed in their emphasis and contextualization of the original Choonhyangga, and were strongly influenced by the social environ of the time. While Shin Jaehyo’s Namchang tried to set the ideal model for Confucian kingdom during Josun dynasty, Yoo Chijin’s Choonhyangjun emphasized individual equality and freedom as Korea was under Japanese imperial oppression at the time. Lee Juyong’s Erratic Choonhyang performed shortly after the Korean independence showed fast-changing social caste system as well as women’s empowerment. Jang Yoonwhan’s Yeosiamun and Lee Geonsam’s Choonhyang, Choonhyang criticized the dictatorial government of the president Park in the 1970s. Kim Yongrak’s BangjaNori satirized easy-going sexual lives of modern times. Giseng-Biseng Choonhyangjun and Yolyeo Choonhyang after new millennium focus on individuation and sexual fantasy. These variations of Choonhyangga reflect the values and trends of changingKorean society, touching on the social stratification, economic inequality, states of the politics, gender role, and religion. However, the ideal of true love and Choonhyang’s upward mobility hold fast in all variations.

박조열 작품론 : 양식적 실험과 통일에의 집념

이미원(Mi Won Lee) 한국연극학회 1993 한국연극학 Vol.5 No.1

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한국 전통극의 공간 탈놀이 연극공간의 층위를 중심으로

이미원 ( Mee Won Lee ) 한국연극학회 2004 한국연극학 Vol.0 No.24

마당극 : 전통수용의 현대적 양식화

이미원(Lee, Meewon) 한국예술종합학교 한국예술연구소 2012 한국예술연구 Vol.- No.6

‘대중문화’에 대한 질의서

이미원 ( Lee Mee-won ) 한국어문학국제학술포럼 2002 Journal of Korean Culture Vol.4 No.-

우리시대의 연극학 방법론 발제원고 - 문화인류학적 접근방법 - Theatre Anthropology

이미원(Mi Won Lee) 한국연극학회 1992 한국연극학 Vol.4 No.1

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일본 연극 교류사와 그 영향

이미원(Lee Meewon) 한국예술종합학교 한국예술연구소 2013 한국예술연구 Vol.- No.8

연극과 디지털 테크놀로지 -가상현실과 하이퍼텍스트의 연극적 응용-

이미원 ( Mee Won Lee ) 한국연극학회 2003 한국연극학 Vol.0 No.20

This essay studies the influence of digital technology on theatre. in fact, the basic organic system of digital technology reflects discontinuity of Postmodern thoughts. The lineal connection is not working any more in digital technology. The recent performances that used technology in Korea are examined. Especially, 《Two in One》indicates the future theatre utilizing internet. Virtual reality, quality of interface, hypertext are examined as the representative digital techniques of the future theatre. If we accept virtual pets or cyborg, we could accept characters in virtual reality as a substitute of actors` body. Then, the virtual reality could be a theatre. if we accept the illusion oh virtual reality a theatre, we could experience a theatre without any limit of time and space. Virtual reality also used for educational purpose. For example, if the entire materials of Macbeth`s performances are in virtual reality, we can easily find a prop for Lady Macbeth. The reconstruction of a periodical theatre in virtual reality is also under trial; for example, the vaudeville theatre is under construction. The interface quality is inevitable when we accept theatre of virtual reality. The participants can choose at every reseaux or network and make their own plays. They can add their own meanings and participate the writings of an author. Hypertext is a writing technique which applies one-to-many linking or many-to-more than-one linking. This could also be applied to playwrighting and virtual reality theatre. There are neither lineal plot development nor a single beginning and ending. There are multiple choice at every link and, variation of plots are possible. All these digital technology could be applied to theatre. In the age of Internet, theatre could be free from the limits of time and space. It is time to decide for theatre whether it remains a minor genre insisting the live body or it is freed from the limits of time and space applying digital technology.