고려극장 미술가들의 전기(傳記)와 변천양상 연구

Abstract

Korean theater and Korean newspapers have served as cultural pillars of Koryoin society in the hub for Korean performing arts during the Soviet era. However, due to forced migration and frequent migration within Kazakhstan, essential documents of the theater were lost, making it impossible to attempt Korean theater artists’ research. Therefore, this study aims to reveal the artists’ biographies and overall theater activities under the Soviet times, where data is insufficient, and then tries to clarify theater artists’ transition process from 1932 to 2019. Despite the absolute lack of data and the foregone conclusion produced by Soviet ideology, theater artists’ biographies were collected through some theater stage photos, Korean newspapers, and in-depth interviews with living artists. In the Soviet era, artists confronted the exploiters (capitalism/ruling class) and focused on ideology, which demonstrated socialism with a positive character. On the other hand, Koryoin’s young artists who entered Korean theater in the late 1970s had long been isolated from Korean elements and had relatively weak ethnic consciousness. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, Koryoin young artists left the Korean theater due to financial difficulties. In 1997, the Russian artist acted as a representative, bringing a significant change to Korean theater’s identity. Ultimately, it is meaningful for an entire history of Korean performing arts to establish Korean theater artists’ biography following the chronology.