Critical Stages (Dec 2021)
South Korean Audiences and their Interactive Performance in the Madang Then and Now
Abstract
Historically and contemporaneously, the role of audiences in South Korean performing arts has been inherently interactive. The T’alch’um (mask dance) and P’ansori (Korean traditional solo opera) were mainly performed in the madang, a marketplace or courtyard; an environment which fostered a more interactive role for the audience who took on a vital role as participants. The madang has a collective nature in that it is a shared place: a “we” occurs among the crowd creating Durkheim’s collective effervescence. In this new millennium, the Korean theatre and performing arts’ audience have re-situated their interactive performance into the public square, replicating the same spirit of critical discourse and civil unrest that is the hallmark of pre-modern performance. This article gives a brief introduction to and overview of the interactive role of traditional theatre audiences since the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897) in the madang and then explores how contemporary South Korean audiences also perform inherited historical audience behaviour. The chapter concludes with an example of public square madang audience community performances: The Plaza Theatre in the Black Tent, in response to the unconstitutional conservative government artist “blacklist” of 2016–17.
