논문 : 중국 경극과 영국 엘리자베스 시대의 극장구조와 무대 관행 비교 연구

The theatre structure of Peking Opera in China and Elizabethan Theatre in England has simillar aspects architecturally, but their stage convention and performative aspects are in great difference, The similar aspects are: the protruded stage-rased from the ground-with the three sides open to the spectators, gallery seats, bare stage with almost no fixed sets, the rear stage which is often used being connected with the scene on the stage through dialogues and movenent lines and so on. The differences in the use of the space and the stage conventions are: the Eizabethan theatre utilizes much more fractionated structure with the second and the third floor stages, and the rear stage, where each stage is used for functional and realistic execution of the scenes: whereas Peking opera stage-the second and the third floor stage gradually being disappeared-is symbolically divided into areas, where each area is used for different activities and places of the scenes. Elizabethan Theatre stresses on literary quality and the meaning of the play in realistic way adapting plot, character, language and thoughts as important elements, On the other hand, Peking Opera centers around performative quality adapting music and visual aspects-stylized acting and movement, dance, thick make-up, elaborated costumes and paraphernalias-as more important factors. With the concrete verbal execution of the play in accordance with the functionally fractionated theatre structure the Elizabethan Theatre helps the spectators to understand the meaning of the play. On the other hand, with the restricted method in manipulating probs and acting style on a flat stage with the areas symbolically designated, Peking Opera provides unlimited imaginations beyond reality and enables the spectators to expand their perceptions. It is interesting enough that the two theatres share the similar architectural structure, but execte the performances in different ways. One can say that these differences are natural result derived from the content of the palys created in different social, cultural context in which the two countries had been undergoing for the long period of time. Therefore, in the future study, it is necessary to examine the idiosyncratic differences of the two theatres in cultural anthropologi cal and ethnological perspectives. In doing so, we can expect to extract the essence of performances and illustrate performance aesthetics of the East and the West.