Hyopyul-sa
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Hyŏpyul-sa (협률사) was the first modern theatre of Korea, supported by the Korean Empire from 1902 until its closing.[1]
Before 1902, Korean theatre took the forms of outdoor performance and folk theatre. In that year of 1902, the Hyŏpyul-sa was established as the first modern indoor theatre in Korea.[2] Later, with strong financial support, it overpowered other private theatres and exercised great influence on other theatres.[1]
As the theatre began to evolve from outdoor to indoor, the style of theatre was also transformed. That change was necessary because the style of outdoor theatre was limited spatially, especially when it came into an enclosed space. As the modern theatre grew new types of theatre had come to Korea from its near countries. A new genre of melodrama, shinp’a(신파) in Korea was influenced by the Japanese shinpa.[2] During the period of Japanese rule, the Japanese government brought shinpa to Korea under the name of the "new play." The "new play" was the opposite of the "old play," and it aimed for enlightening and educating people.[3] Korean also importing the Chinese Qing dynasty's kungu drama (from the Beijing Opera). Those influences from Japan and Qing brought Korean people into indirect contact with Western culture and triggered a sensational change in history of theatre in Korea.[1]
