• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
• /
• no.36
• /
• pp.255-287
• /
• 2018

This article deals with one of the pansori master's life and activities. Bak Songhui(1927~2017), who was the holder of National Intangible Cultural Asset No. 5 for pansori Heungboga. She had played a significant role through the modern history of pansori genre including Yeoseong Gukkeuk(Korean classical opera by women) and Changgeuk(Korean traditional opera in pansori style) as well as original pansori itself. In the article, the early stage of her learnings and the way she got involved to pansori from Gwonbeon period are offered, and the activities by group, solo recitals, and educational activity lists are also provided. Bak Songhui began to learn pansori, Geommu(dance), Seungmu(dance), Gayageum, Yanggeum, and Gagok genres at her age of 13 in Gwangju. She fulfilled 5 years of study in Gwangju Gwonbeon, and entered to a Hyeomnyulsa-travelling theater company, led by Gim Yeonsu at her age around 19. Later, Bak used to be an actress in Yeoseong Gugak Donghohoe(Female Korean music fans' club) led by Gim sohui as well as in Haennim Gukkeukdan, and Saehan Gukkeukdan at around her age of 30. She took the main actress' role in several performances. And thanks to her effort, the Yeoseong Gukkeuk can be one of the representative genre in history. As she entered to the National Changgeuk company, her brilliant talents worked well by leading the company's big hit with her talents of taking many different characters, devotions, and know-hows from her experience. After her 70s, she kept the pansori go on its right way to pass down. She unfolded pansori performances as well as her own students' public presentations, recordings, TV and radio broadcasting activities as the holder of National Intangible Cultural Asset. The activities that Bak Songhui showed us can become another chance to make her a great master of pansori, especially in Dongpyeonje style.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
• /
• v.15 no.3 s.68
• /
• pp.510-524
• /
• 2007

There is something common between the Korean female Kukkuk and the Japanese Takarazuka Revue in that actors are all females and love is the main theme. Some of the females should play men's roles, so they are described as ideal men and are more manly than real men, and female audiences are attracted by them. It is hard for actresses to play men's roles-they have to stretch open their shoulders, walk with long steps and produce a deep voice. They put on a makeup a little exaggeratedly to perfectly disguise themselves as men and express strong images-some red tone makeup on their face, thick eyebrows with their ends upward, thick eye lines to make eyes seem bigger and stronger, and thick side whiskers. On the contrary, a makeup for female characters is softer to highlight femininity with thin penciled hair parted and braided on the sides of the face. The Takarazuka Revue's students are divided into male characters and female ones from the regular course of music schools, and they select their roles in consideration of their height and range of voice, mainly based on their wish. In case of male characters, they need a long career and verification of ability to be the best. Females playing men's roles and showing their manliness are violation of a social custom standardizing the character of males and females and are the reverse of roles expected by a society or a culture. A world experienced by these plays is a kind of revolt breaking the taboo of the patriarchal system.

• Journal of Korean Theatre Studies Association
• /
• no.40
• /
• pp.61-96
• /
• 2010

This research established that the two characteristics of Femail Gugguek were explored on the character as genre and the nationalism discourse. This research also included how to encounter the characteristic of Female Gugguek as a popular entertainment with the social context at the time and how to re-produce the social ideology. The 'historical nationalism narrative' piercing Female Gugguek had the close relation with the nation/state discourse of the time. The history reproduced by Female Gugguek was not real. It was the imagined past, the history as image. The Female Gugguek was a genre which typically showed how to intermediate fantasy, ideology and narrative. The happy-endings with the victory of male hero, the narrative pattern on overcoming national crisis, the narrative emphasizing the glorious past and the unification of nation, all these were projected the discourse on nationalistic ideology and nation/state-making in 1950's. The Utopian desire of Female Guggeuk imagining the glorious past and strong nation was the fantasy which concealed the contradiction in real life and the national identity damaged by colonial experience, division of territory, governance by U.S. Military Government and the Korean War. The Female Guggeuk was doing well, because it had amusement. Futhermore, imagination of glorious past and strong state/nation of Female Guggeuk satisfied the public's desire of escapism and wish to establish their position and identity in the rapid social-economic changes. However, Female Guggeuk repeatedly produced the never-changing characters, narrative pattern and conservative world-view. Thus, it became regarded as immature and obsolete thing in late 1950's. Female Guggeuk, which kept re-producing the retrogressive image of the past without modern viewpoint and interpretation, was not sensitive about change of time and trend of the people. Consequently, it was pushed out of people's major interest.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
• /
• no.32
• /
• pp.209-241
• /
• 2016

"Women's Nong-ak (農樂, Traditional Korean music performed by farmers)" was born together with "Maiden group." This study focuses on the reason why women appeared as principal agents of Nong-ak which was almost exclusive to men previously and especially, on the appearance of women Nong-ak Artists who was previously worked in Traditional Drama Troupe. This study empirically deals with details of activities of Maiden's (娘子) Nong-ak troupes and Girls' (少女) Nong-ak troupes through newspaper articles. Women Nong-ak Artists enjoyed popularity with their peculiar attractions. Participating in Nong-ak contests and collecting money for their performances, women Nong-ak Artists learned their skills form masters of Woodo Nong-ak and attracted attention with their colorful costumes. Women of Nong-ak circle especially saw through the trend of the time, expanded their arena of activities and exercised flexibility and ability to react quickly to changing situations while mixing with various genres. In particular, young girls were mobilized to show value and marketability of Korean culture as cultural medium who decorated "Pure Nong-ak art stage." They were no different from "Pretty dolls dancing like angels" who could not purse their interest and economic benefit or incite political cause and their patrons were domestic and overseas political figures. Women artists, who put Nong-ak on the stage in the name of Maiden's (娘子) Nong-ak troupes and Girls' (少女) Nong-ak after the liberation from Japanese colonial rule, contributed to expansion of market base. Women Nong-ak artists, who dominated a century in such troupes as Sadangpae, Hyuprulsa, Maiden's (娘子) Nong-ak troupes, Girls' (少女) Nong-ak troupes and Women Nong-ak troupes, were the very heroines who overturned the conventions of "male predominance (男尊女卑)" which filled Nong-ak arena and cultivated a new tradition of Nong-ak culture.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
• /
• no.35
• /
• pp.229-247
• /
• 2017

This study was conducted through the typological analysis of theatrical activities and playscript of Packaging Troupe, which was a wandering theater troupe. It seems the activities of the packaging troupe were very active about in the 1950s. They approached to the public with various repertoires and gained popularity during the process. The playscript used in their plays can be divided into several types such as Yi dynasty drama, historical drama and modern drama and their titles are almost same as or similar to those used in Changgeuk troupe (classical opera), Female Gukgeuk troupe (Female classical opera), or Female Nongak troupe (Female farm musical band). Also, as themes, subject matters, and characters were partially same, the characteristics of previous theatrical activities could be reviewed through the playscript of packaging troupe. Also, the characteristics of the playscript of packaging troupe can be found in the list of gramophone record. The changes in popular culture can be examined in the flow of plays with various forms such as theater, film, and gramophone through the comparison between the characteristics of playscript types of packaging troupe around in the 1950s and the list of gramophone record. A typological analysis of playscript of packaging troupe confirmed the activities of packaging troupe lasted around in the 1950s. Also it can be inferred from Hyeopryulsa, Changgeuk troupe, Female Gukgeuk troupe, or Female Nongak troupe, which used traditional subject matters as repertoire of performance. Those were possible because repertoires were composed and contents changed according to the needs of the public. The changes can be also confirmed through the list inserted in the gramophone record. The association can be inferred through the same title as that of the playscript of packaging troupe and similarity of performance curtains and subject matters. As such, the interest and flow of popular culture can be examined through the types of playscript of theatrical activities of packaging troupe.