로컬리티에서 아메리카까지 - 1950~60년대 차범석 희곡에 나타난 전통과 현대 -

Abstract

Cha Beom-seok wrote 69 plays over the period of 54 years from 1951 to 2005, a prolific output that few playwrights in modern Korean drama history have surpassed in terms of both longevity and volume of work. In addition to his extensive creative output, Cha played a pivotal role in the development of Korean theater. He founded the theatre company Jejakkeukhoe (1956-1963), which countered the established mainstream theatre of the theatre company Shinhyup during the 1950s, and later established the theatre company Sanha (1963-1983), contributing significantly to the professionalization of theater through the staging of full length plays in large theaters, aiming to popularize theatre among the public. This paper focuses on Cha Beom-seok’s significant works from the 1950s to the 1960s, such as “Wasteland(불모지),” “Without the pain of tearing the skin(껍질이 째지는 아픔 없이는),” “Blue Roof House(청기와집),” “Flock of Seagulls(갈매기떼),” “Tropical Fish(열대어),” and “The Castle of Roses(장미의 성),” analyzing the aesthetic characteristics and worldview of his dramatic works. Particularly notable in his plays created during the whole years of Jejakkeukhoe and the first half of Sanha are the generational conflicts between the old and new generations, often framed as a clash between tradition and modernity, specifically highlighting tensions between locality and Americanization(Americanism). Cha Beom-seok began to create plays based on locality while serving as a middle school teacher in his hometown of Mokpo in the early 1950s, and this locality taste lasted from the 1950s to the 1960s, especially in the early 1960s, producing outstanding works such as “Mountain Fire(산불),” “Blue Roof House,” and “Flock of Seagulls.” After moving to Seoul in 1956, the themes of urbanization, industrialization, and civilization appeared in Cha Beom-seok’s plays, and it is characterized by the fact that the theme of the work has changed from locality to modernization. He increasingly turned his attention to urban civilization and political reality with plays like “Wasteland,” “Calculator(계산기),” “Fantasy City(공상 도시),” and “Without the pain of tearing the skin.” However, following the failure of the April 19 Revolution and the May 16 military coup, military governments took control, leading Cha to focus on themes of ethical impurity, particularly highlighting suppressed sexual desires of women and minorities. This thematic consciousness was already evident in “Mountain Fire” and “Blue Roof House,” and was starkly presented through plays addressing racial discrimination like “Tropical Fish” and homosexuality issues like “The Castle of Roses.” Interestingly, these plays reveal the conflict structure between traditional morality and anti-traditional morality, and the modern morality that challenges traditional morality is mostly expressed as originating from America. Through these plays, Cha’s attitude towards Americanism shows a dualistic stance, critical of American values, culture, and ethics, contrasting with a positive stance towards political and economic systems. This confirms that Cha Beom-seok’s attitude toward Americanism has an ambivalent position that shows a critical attitude toward American values, culture, and ethics, unlike a positive attitude toward the political and economic system.