박정희 연출론

Abstract

This study explores the directing esthetics of Jeonghee Park, one of the most compelling directors in contemporary Korean theater. Ever since her debut production of <Maids> in 2001, Park has been regarded as a prominent female director and brilliant experimental dramatist, noted for her ingenuity with texts and exquisite on-stage expressions. Her subsequent major works, including <Pyong Sim> (2003), <Balcony> (2004),<Railway> (2009), and <Marat, Sade> (2009), have received high praise from not only theater critics but audiences for their skillful combination of philosophical thinking and symbolic images. Although many theatrical reviews have praised the esthetics of Park’s productions, her directing has not yet received a systematic, in-depth analysis. This neglect seems to reflect Korean academics’ frequent tendency to overlook contemporary directors who are still at the height of their careers and in the process of changing and developing their styles and methods. By contrast, this study starts from this exact phase of Park’s career to raise questions about the conventional restrictions on studying contemporary directors. If research on directors continues to focus only on those of the previous generation who have already fully consummated their directing esthetics, serious gaps will exist between the insights of research and current developments on stage. To begin filling in those gaps, this research has a twofold purpose in investigating Park’s directing methods and esthetic principles : first, to expand current discourse on contemporary directing esthetics second, to provide insights that could inform contemporary theatrical productions. This systematic and in-depth analysis of Park’s directing includes the following parts : investigation of the basic background and principles of her directing; examination of her working process and methods; analysis of her directing esthetics’characteristics as manifested in her works; and finally, discussion of the contributions and limitations of her directing style and methods. In sum, this study aims to identify, analyze, and evaluate the underlying principles and structure of Park’s directing esthetics. Its intended results are to increase and intensify scholarly interest in contemporary directors and to contribute to the changes and developments that continue to occur on the Korean stage.