창극은 아직도 판소리가 전승되는 가운데 공연의 다양성에 비하여 일관된 창극의 연출방식의 차이에 대한 문제 해결이 이룩되지 않고 있으며, 연기형식의 고전적 답습에서 벗어나지 못하고 있다. 전통적인 연희양식 판소리에서 발생된 창극은 근본적으로 우리 민족정서나 사상, 예술적 감흥 등을 온전히 담아낼 수 있는 음악극으로 자리매김 할 수 있도록 지속적인 개량과 고유의 양식 개발이 필요하다. 또한 창극은 실내의 극장개념과 무대개념을 동시에 아우르며 ‘한국 음악극’으로 새롭게 태어나기 위해 대중적 감각에 대해서도 염두에 두고 있어야만 한다. 대부분의 한국 공연물이 서구 극장주의 무대에 의존하는 오늘의 현실에서, 새로운 감각으로 재창출하는 예술적 개입과 시대적 적응이 선행되고 나름의 우리 고유의 양식으로 자리 잡은 이후에야 비로소 창극은 미래지향적인 전통 연극으로서 그 면모를 갖출 수 있을 것이다. 이것이 명분 있는 창극의 현실화에 기여하는 첩경이 될 것이며 동시에 창극의 발전적 위상을 확보하는 길이다. 실제 창극 공연에는 판소리 창자들 이외의 전통 연희자들 뿐만 아니라 판소리창이 주요 표현매체이긴 하지만, 다른 전통연희의 표현방식도 다양하게 원용되고 있다. 그리고 창극의 정립을 논하는 자리에서, 창극은 판소리의 창을 주요 표현매체로 한 연극이어야 한다는 입장과, 판소리 이외의 전통음악어법을 총체적으로 활용하는 연극이어야 한다는 입장이 팽팽하게 맞서고 있다. 음악의 문제는 현재 작곡가나 편곡자의 전통적 판소리에 대한 표준적 악보의 필요성이 제기되고 있으며, 희곡 텍스트의 부재와 통속성에 대한 편견이 공통적으로 지적되고 있다. 또한 창극은 아직 완성된 공연양식이라기 보다 전통에 기반을 둔 미완성의 실험예술이라는 점을 감안한다면 희곡텍스트의 확립과 서양의 오페라처럼 표준화된 악보의 통일화 작업을 서둘러야 할 때다. 그러나 기존의 연구에도 불구하고 창극에 관한 연출적 연구는 미흡한 상태이며, 창극배우, 즉 판소리 배우들의 연기 형식이나 창작창극의 활성화를 통한 우리 고유의 음악극 양식의 개발에 관한 논의는 부족한 실정이다. 그렇기 때문에 본고는 현재까지 남아있는 창극의 원형과 공연 연출에 있어서 그 특성을 찾아보고 이에 대한 대안을 마련코자 한다. 따라서 본 논의는 전북지역의 대표적 창극작품을 선정하여 대본과 공연 프로그램, 영상자료를 토대로 현대 창극을 분석하여 현대의 창극이 우리 전통적 공연양식으로 자리매김 할 수 있는 대안은 무엇인지 모색해 보고자 한다.

With Pansori still in its course of transmission, the uniform differences between types of production in Korean classical opera are far from settlement even though its performances come as a variety of types, revolving in customary practices. Korean classical opera which originated from the traditional entertaining form of Pansori, needs continuous adjustments and development of its forms so that it may deliver specifically the emotion, ideology, or artistic inspiration of our ancestors and settle as a musical play. Also must be taken into consideration is the public sense to allow it to be reborn as a 'Korean Musical Play' which simultaneously encompasses the concept of indoor theater and indoor stage. Today where most of performances in Korea relying on the stages of western theatrics, Korean classical opera will find itself shaping up as futuristic traditional play only when there is some artistic engagement recreating a new sense, adaption to the times as well as settlement as our own unique culture. This will most likely contribute to the realization of Korean classical opera and at the same time the procurement of its developmental status. In the actual performance of Korean classical opera, in addition to the main expressive media including Pansori Chang (traditional narrative song), traditional entertainers and Chang singers of Pansori, the expression methods in other traditional entertainments are also quoted. Besides there are two tensely confronting stances in a debate where the establishment of Korean classical opera; one that claims Korean classical opera should be adopting the Chang in Pansori as the main expressive medium and the other that claims it should utilize all other traditional musical methods additionally to Pansori in a holistic manner. From the perspective of music, there is a need emerging for a standard musical score of the traditional Pansori for present composers or arrangers while the lack of texts for plays and bias for popularities are pointed out. In that Korean classical opera is not a complete form of performance but an immature experimental art based on the tradition, it is high time to prompt a work establishing the texts for plays and unifying some standardized musical scores as in western operas. However, in spite of the existing researches, studies on the production of Korean classical opera are still insufficient just and as much is the discussions on our own musical cultures through the acting types with the performers in Korean classical opera, i. e. the performers of Pansori and boosting of creative Korean classical opera. In this respect, this author intends to identify the characteristics with an original form of Korean classical opera existing to date in addition to the characteristics with its production and performance, and come up with alternatives regarding these matters. Therefore, this discussion will select the works of Korean classical opera representing Jeonbuk province, analyze modern Korean classical opera by means of their scripts, performance programs and image data in search of the alternatives through which the modern Korean classical opera could find its place as one of our traditional forms of performance.

With Pansori still in its course of transmission, the uniform differences between types of production in Korean classical opera are far from settlement even though its performances come as a variety of types, revolving in customary practices. Korean classical opera which originated from the traditional entertaining form of Pansori, needs continuous adjustments and development of its forms so that it may deliver specifically the emotion, ideology, or artistic inspiration of our ancestors and settle as a musical play. Also must be taken into consideration is the public sense to allow it to be reborn as a 'Korean Musical Play' which simultaneously encompasses the concept of indoor theater and indoor stage. Today where most of performances in Korea relying on the stages of western theatrics, Korean classical opera will find itself shaping up as futuristic traditional play only when there is some artistic engagement recreating a new sense, adaption to the times as well as settlement as our own unique culture. This will most likely contribute to the realization of Korean classical opera and at the same time the procurement of its developmental status. In the actual performance of Korean classical opera, in addition to the main expressive media including Pansori Chang (traditional narrative song), traditional entertainers and Chang singers of Pansori, the expression methods in other traditional entertainments are also quoted. Besides there are two tensely confronting stances in a debate where the establishment of Korean classical opera; one that claims Korean classical opera should be adopting the Chang in Pansori as the main expressive medium and the other that claims it should utilize all other traditional musical methods additionally to Pansori in a holistic manner. From the perspective of music, there is a need emerging for a standard musical score of the traditional Pansori for present composers or arrangers while the lack of texts for plays and bias for popularities are pointed out. In that Korean classical opera is not a complete form of performance but an immature experimental art based on the tradition, it is high time to prompt a work establishing the texts for plays and unifying some standardized musical scores as in western operas. However, in spite of the existing researches, studies on the production of Korean classical opera are still insufficient just and as much is the discussions on our own musical cultures through the acting types with the performers in Korean classical opera, i. e. the performers of Pansori and boosting of creative Korean classical opera. In this respect, this author intends to identify the characteristics with an original form of Korean classical opera existing to date in addition to the characteristics with its production and performance, and come up with alternatives regarding these matters. Therefore, this discussion will select the works of Korean classical opera representing Jeonbuk province, analyze modern Korean classical opera by means of their scripts, performance programs and image data in search of the alternatives through which the modern Korean classical opera could find its place as one of our traditional forms of performance.

, , , , , , , ,

Korean classical opera, Music Drama, Pansori, Production, Acting, Dochang, Gosu, Performers of Korean classical opera, Stage