ABSTRACT
This chapter pursues the new tide of changes occurring in Korean theatre in the 1990s due to the achievement of democratization in the late 1980s and the hosting of the Seoul Olympics in 1988. As the 1990s went on, the words “postmodern” and “post-industrial society” had risen. In this decentered and uncertain era, “populism” alone seemed to be mounting. The chapter discusses the predominant theatre companies that led the transition period, the following major theatre companies, and the directors of the 1990s with their new trends. The company of YeonWu, Mokhwa, YeonHidan Players, MiChu, and non-verbal performances are mainly examined. From these examinations, key theatrical trends in the 1990s are described. Though it is not the 20th century, the changes after the new millennium are briefly examined at the end of this chapter. Three social incidents, the Sewol ferry disaster, the protest of artists against the “Black Lists,” and the “Me Too Movement,” brought about profound changes in the theatre world. The new artists’ enthusiasm for a rightful society foretells upcoming social theatre which utilizes postmodern techniques after postmodernism, though nothing is settled yet.
