공공극장의 문화공간적 특성 및 변화양상 연구 -도시문화와의 관계를 중심으로

Abstract

As a result of the current trend of cultural decentralization, public theaters have been competitively built in every region. Similar to community centers in the past, public theaters have now become regional cultural epicenters. Keen attention from society and the nation has recently been paid to public theaters. They are appreciated because they bring about multifaceted good effects, including the cultural development of cities, while in the past, theaters were regarded as facilities only for plays. As performing stages are created and run for the public good rather than for profits, public theaters are public institutions created by local governments for greater public wellbeing. In particular, the roles of modern public theaters have been extended to include not only venues for appreciating the performing arts, as places where performers and audience sympathize with each other, but also to heighten a city's cultural brand. In large cities in Europe and North America, where urbanization took place earlier than in Korea, issues such as inner city development and economic hardships have in many cases been overcome by building local performing art centers. Multiplex public theaters have become increasingly popular in Korea too, as culture and art centers are considered to be effective for improving the city environment and revitalizing lackluster cities. Indeed, just as regions built cultural centers in the 1970s, they are currently pushing ahead with building public theaters. The government has stated that public theaters will be built in every municipality. As infrastructure for culture and art, performing art centers have been increasingly regarded as symbols representing national or regional economic strengths and cultural prowess. As a result, multiplex theaters with a focus on performing stages have become established as the main public theater type. The number of theaters including small theaters and grand theaters inside a multiplex has increased as well, and a growing number of such multiplex theaters have been consigned and run by the private sector. Meanwhile, since the need for specialized performing art centers for a certain genre was highlighted to encourage artistic creation and to enjoy it, many regions have paid attention to and pushed forward with their construction. Effort has also been made on the regional level to create multiplex theaters equipped with exclusive theaters as a way for the regions to distinguish themselves from others. Public theaters should expand their roles to serve as community centers where urban individualism and isolationism may be overcome and humanity will be recovered. In addition, performing art centers need to become public theaters in which ordinary citizens can enjoy their cultural activities, and artists and residents can contribute to cultural community development together, as public participation has emerged as a buzzword in the performing art sector.