Sinpa Theatre: Transitional Melodrama from Westernized Japan and Its Influences on Commercial Theatre

Abstract

Sinpa theatre was the first Western-influenced theatre to come to Korea through Japan. Due to the import of Japanese Sinpa theatre, Korean Sinpa theatre was once thought of as a genre of sentiment and tears, totally disconnected from tradition. However, it was neither completely transplanted from Japan nor totally disconnected from tradition. This paper conclued new historical meaning of Sinpa theatre. In short, Korean Sinpa theatre cleverly took the elements from narrative tradition of the Old Novel and Pansori, though it abandoned traditional acrobatic performative skills. Thus, Sinpa theatre made language-based theatre widespread and played the role of a stepping stone towards Western realistic theatre. After the 1920s, when Western realistic theatre started, Improved Sinpa theatre took its role as a popular theatre. For commercial survival and success, it combined other genres such as Pansori, Changgeuk(唱劇), motion pictures, music, and dance. Its plots were dramatic, and it appealed to the sentiments of the audience. Thus, it showed many characteristics of Western melodrama. Sinpa theatre called High Sinpa in the 1930s required a new transition due to the spread of realism theatre. To the public who were now familiar with realism theatre, it, as a popular theater, was demanded more attractive devices in order to attract the audience. It needed grand performances with theatricality such as splendid sceneries and star actresses. Since it emphazised sensibility, music and other sensuous devices were used. It was not surprising that Yeonswaegeuk(連鎖劇) and Akgeuk(樂劇), which employed motion picture and music, were spinned off from it, Especially, Akgeuk that appeared in connection with Sinpa theatre became the forerunner of Korean musicals. Sinpa reached its peak with the productions of the Oriental Theatre. After Korean independence, Sinpa theatre did not seem to officially appear, but many commercial performances took the form of Sinpa theatre. In this postmodern world, thanks to the revaluation of melodrama, a few Sinpa theatres were able to take place after the 1990s. Its elements that appeal to the audience also have been applied to T.V. dramas and movies. No matter what they may be called, the remnants of Sinpa theatre live on through popular art forms in Korea. It is not over emphasized that Sinpa theatre made clever sucession of traditional narratives, its spread of language-based theatre and its function of popular theatre.