동시대 한국 무대의 중국연극

Abstract

해방 이후 <뇌우>를 통한 리얼리즘 연극의 수용은 우리 연극사에서 공인되는 부분이다. 그러한 중국 리얼리즘 연극의 저력은 베세토연극제 참가작인 <천하제일루> 등을 통해 다시 확인되었다. 약 반세기에 걸친 단절의 기간 동안 중국은 리얼리즘 연극을 탄탄하게 다져 왔음을 말해준다. 그러나 실험극은 만날 기회가 많지 않았고 그 영향도 그리 크지 않았다. 우리가 만난 대표적인 중국 연극으로 가오싱젠과 티엔친신의 작품을 들 수 있다. 일찍이 80년대 초에 서구 현대극의 자유정신을 수용하고 실험극을 시도했던 가오싱젠은 예술의 자유를 위해 고독한 망명을 선택했다. 이는 반세기의 단절 이후 다시 만난 중국이 여전히 닫힌 사회로 예술을 통제하고 있기 때문이다. 그러나 그의 초기 작품들은 여전히 중국의 맥락에서 읽어야 하는 작품들이며 후기작들에서도 중국에 대한 문화적 기억들이 직조되어 있다. 그 후 뉴밀레니움을 전후하여 등장한 티엔친신은 중국 현대극에 새로운 표현 형식을 부여하며 주목받았다. 티엔친신은 자신의 예술적 열정을 표현 형식의 실험을 통해 발산하며 국립극단 상임연출가로서 중국연극계에 새로운 활기를 불어 넣었다. 중국의 상황이 아직도 많은 금기에 둘러 싸여 있기 때문에 진정한 실험을 기대하기는 쉽지 않지만, 새로 부상하는 젊은 세대들의 창작열과 실험정신에 주목해야 할 때다. 수교 후 20년을 넘기는 중국 연극 교류를 진행하면서 실망감으로 다소 지쳐 있던 2015년 우리 눈을 번쩍 뜨이게 한 것이 고선웅의 <조씨고아－복수의 씨앗>(국립극단)이다. 중국 연극도 우리와 마찬가지로 서구 연극을 학습해 왔고, 우리보다도 진도가 늦다. 따라서 중국 현대극에서 서구적 연극에서와 같은 새로운 이즘이나 창의 등 강렬한 무엇인가를 기대하는 것은 무리다. 그러나 중국은 오랜 전통극의 역사와 너무나 다양한 희곡 텍스트를 가지고 있고, 그것을 무대화하는 다양하고도 정교한 표현 양식을 수립하였다. 그런데 그 미적 감수성은 우리와 매우 큰 차이를 가지므로, 오히려 우리의 해석과 미감으로 재창작할 여지가 크다. 따라서 이번 <조씨고아－복수의 씨앗>는 중국의 고전 희곡 텍스트를 기초로 한 재창작의 가능성을 발견하게 해 주었다는 점에서 의미가 있다. Just after the liberation from Japan Colony in the year 1945, early plays of Cao Yu such as “Thunderstorm”, “Champaign”, “Sunrise”, were performed in Seoul. Especially “Thunderstorm” performed by the National Theatre of Korea in 1950 had made a great sensation and we all know Korean theatre had received a big influence of the realism at that moment. The power of realism theatre of modern China was confirmed again by the“The First House under Heaven” performed by the Beijing People`s Art Theatre at the First BeSeTo Theatre Festival on 1994. It means that through the half century Chinese theatre made a good succession and progress in realism theatre. But we had little chance to meet experimental theatre of China. There were only Gao Xingjian and Tian Qinxin whom we could have met in Korean stage. In early 80`s, Gao Xingjian received the influence of many streams of western modern theatre and cultivated his free spirit of art. He had written and directed several experimental playes such as “Bus Stop”, “The Other Shore”, but at last he had to chose exile to France not to loose his freedom to write. There were several performances of his plays “Emergency Signal” and “Bus Stop” on Seoul stage, but especially “Hades” and “Between Life and Death” of “The Gao Xingjian Festival in Seoul, 2011” had shown us the theatre aesthetics of Gao Xingjian who understand both culture of East and West well through our own interpretation and sensitivity. He is really an artist of free spirit, through him Chinese Modern theatre stepped up to experimental theatre with wide spectrum from modern to postmodern. Tian Qinxin is a young playwright and director of National Theatre of China, who are good at physical theatre and made her first workshop performance on Seoul stage of “The Ground of Life and Death” korean version at the Asian Director`s workshop in 2005. She kept a good relationship with Theatre troup Michoo along with “The Orphan of Zhao” as the performance of 20th anniversary of Michoo troup in 2006. she also presented her “Peach Blossom Fan”(traditional Kunqu opera) by Jiangsu-Kunjuyuan,“Red Rose, White Rose” by NTC, “Romio and Juliet” by NTCK to Korean audience. She tried to motivate her passion through different experimental way of expression. There were several young directors who participated BeSeTo Theatre Festivals or Asian Directors Festivals, though we may not be able to expect much something experimental because China still has many prohibition in thought and expression. But they try to express their own passion of creation and spirit of experiment as a young generation of China. More than 20years after the establishment of relationship between Korea and China have passed, but we couldn`t remember any really great production in regard to Chinese theatre, which touched our heart and left us deep impression. Finally in 2015, we met “The Orphan of Zhao” directed by Ko Sunwoong, produced by NTCK. The original text was written in 14th century of Yuan dynasty. But text is so full of theatricality for Ko Sunwoong, the adapter and director to feel great interest on it. Chinese traditional theatre not only established a very refined stylized acting system, but also promoted very skillful dramaturgy. Especially because director Ko has a belief that theatre is `play`, so it should be interesting, -actually this is a very distinctive characteristics motivated from Korean traditional theatre, he turned this heavy tragedy on Chinese stage into a very comic but very moving tragedy on Korean stage. This is a good trial case to show us the possibility of our own recreation based on the Chinese plays which have rich theatricality, also are so abundant in quantity. Now we can expect more from Chinese theatre not only from their excellent acting skill, but also from their old plays and the dramaturgy.