조사와 연구를 통한 공연 텍스트 구성하기 –여성의 중년 경험에 관한 드라마투르기 구성 과정의 기록

Abstract

The practice as research or the practice-based research implies conscious raisingprocess for one’s own including the other participants against ready-made views as wellas distribution of methodology. This work corresponds to the theatre making processbased on practice as research, interview, and analysis centering on a theme, theexperience of midlife in Korean women. At a certain stage of life, we find ourselves thatwe are aging and have already crossed the half a lifetime. As we get to be aware of thesituation, we realized this is the untrodden aspect of life even though we seem to havebeen informed enough how we get old and follow the life cycle. Especially being inmidlife in Korea has its own cultural and historical connotation. We(a dramaturg, fiveperformers) made thirty questionaires regarding how middle aged individuals from late45s to early 60s are experiencing and anticipating being aged from how they spend thedaily life, what kind of family relationship, when they feel lonely and how they get itover, to when and how they want to die. The interviews were part of practice basedresearch which focused on individuals’ experiences and aimed to explore and awakenwhat is ahead in or after their midlife different from abstract theory and culturalgeneralization. After this dramaturg constructed a text with the materials of recordedvoices and the discussions. The practice on the stage was taken by six performers as aplay-reading. It took place at the small theatre within the library of Sanbon,Gyunggydo. As the theatre was located in the regional civic library, the audience werelocal residents naturally, including some interviewees. The practice was completelydifferent from the general theatre performance. It foreground the intention to listen tothe real and individual experience about Korean middle aged women. This paper was arecord regarding how the practice could be intertwined with research as a Britishverbatim theatre. It was a talk show, or narrative theatre to share each one’s experienceas a kind a outreach conscious raising theatre and a proof the effectiveness of themethodology which mixed research with practice. In the process doing the research asa practice, the dramaturg, researchers as performers, and the interviewees had specialexperience that their former thought and attitude about their midlife has changed fromthe negative to positive one. Nonetheless, we also found some insufficient parts todevelop more according to the feedback after the play-reading.