From village comedian to celebrity: metamorphosis of the Korean actor in the years of Japanese occupation (1910-1945)

Traditional Korean theater represents a plebeian trend in folk art, with its actors belonging to the lowest classes according to the hierarchy rules of Confucian society in old Korea. In ancient times theater art was presented during national ceremonies and rituals. It therefore belonged to the culture of social elites of the time. Since the 10th century however, the social rank of theater performances started to drop, taking down with it the status of Korean actors – kwangdae. The most fateful changes took place during the rule of the Yi dynasty of Chosŏn (1392–1910), especially in the 17th century, when theater plays were pushed to the margin of the artistic mainstream and were reproved by the elites, represented by Confucian scholars and the nobility. Theater art was deemed the source of the nation’s depravity and the destabilization of state order. This simplistic and negative attitude towards theater art started to change by the beginning of the last century, when Korea was undergoing severe political, social and economic changes. The article is dedicated to the description of the process of social transformation that, during the first four decades of the 20th century, facilitated the rise of the Korean actor’s status from that of a village comedian to a celebrity.