Traditions of Korean Folk Performances in the Contemporary Monodrama

Abstract

He increasing interest to the one-actor theatre in Korea is caused by the existence of the pansori, a ballade performed by narrator to the accompaniment of a drum, in the Korean folk tradition. Nowadays, the Korean folk performance tradition is widely used by directors in contemporary monodramas. The article analyzes two performances: “The Byeoksok Fairy” (director - Sohn Jin chaek, actress - Kim Sung nuy) by Bae Sam Sik, a well-known Korean dramatist, which uses the traditions of the Korean folk performance madan nori; and the “Mother Courage and Her Children” (director - Nam In woo, actress - Yi Ja ram) by Bertolt Brecht, staged in the pansory style.