미국의 실험 극단 <오픈 씨어터(The Open Theater)>의 창단 과정과 연극적 의미에 대한 연구

Abstract

As an actor, director, workshop leader and avant-theater artist, Joseph Chaikin explored the experimental realms of the new theater, which was not examined by the traditional theater, throughout founding his own theatrical group, The Open Theater. Chaikin, hoping to be an excellent actor, began to get his theatrical education and training from the traditional theater artists. However, being disappointed with the 'Method Acting,' an Americanized version of Staninslavsky's acting system from his acting teachers, Chaikin joined the Living Theater. With the key members of the Living Theater, Judith Malina and Julian Beck, Chaikin began to explore his own acting technique and actor-training method, while participating in many theater productions with them. Not satisfied with his successful acting career with the Living Theater, mainly because of the radical socio-political messages of the productions of the Living Theater, Chaikin found his own theater group, the Open Theater for the further exploring and developing his acting method and actor-training workshop in 1963 in New York City. With his own theater, Chaikin insisted the whole acting method and actor training be 'collectively staying in progress' which was intended to redefine the limits of the stage experience and to inspire the actors and the playwrights. He also experimented the collective acting process with his theater, not the solitary one as emphasized by the traditional method acting. Initially with training the actor's body, Chaikin developed four major actor-training methods such as sound and movement, transformation, inside-outside exercise, and unnoticed actions which are the key techinques of his acting theory. After disbanding the Open Theater for keeping the pure meaning of theatrical nature - keep changing and avoid retrograding - he continued to study theater with the collaborative efforts with other young playwrigts. The theatrical experiments accomplished with the Open Theater by Chaikin without doubt have influenced many theater persons and contributed the theatrical development hugely in American stage in defining the history of modern Amrerican theater.