The Present and the Future Issues in Korean Feminist Theatre

한국의 페미니즘 연극, 그 현황과 과제

Considering Korean feminist theatre is not successful at all these days, it is needed to find the reasons of its crisis. As two Korean feminist theatre Scholars argued, the crisis owed to the structural problem from the start. That is the Korean feminist theatre started and developed depending on the imported popular feminist plays without social and cultural self-consciousness. Once the imported feminist theatres were flourished, some theatre companies pursued the commercial success blurring the feminist issues. It was resulted into the intentional ignorance in and out of the theatre society. While, some feminist plays were too inclined to the agit-prop without artistic sophistication. This essay tries to examine how the feminist theatres have been developing and what kinds of feminist performances have been made until now. And it intends to emphasize that the play text should be based on the Korean women's past, present, and future reality. Besides, they have to delve into the problem by which the Korean women were trapped in historical, social, and cultural environment. To make the women's matter the social issue at present and fur the future, the Korean feminist theatre should re-find its place as the socio-cultural forum. First, Korean theatre should cooperate with the other women's group crossing the different disciplines of the society, the culture, the politics etc . Secondly, we need to observe and watch where and how the distortion happens in women's matter, and react to correct it. Thirdly, we need to discover, to support, and to protect the women centered perspective of some playwrights as well as the performers. Co-writing or co-performing is also very positive to diversify the women's subjects. Lastly, to protect the feminist theatre against the consumerism, they need to have the financial support from the government or some civil society.