The aim of this paper is to clarify the characteristics of the theatrical company, Towolhoe"s translated dramas and its effects on the performance of Towolhoe"s creative dramas.
Towolhoe didn"t adapt translated works until the second performance. The five translated dramas Towolhoe performed focused on searching the possibility of forming the modern drama of colonized Joseon. In the founding performance, they performed the foreign dramatists" works for little theater, who contributed to forming the modern drama of their countries including Eugene Pillot"s Hunger. Encouraged its success, as the works of the second performance they challenged Tolstoy"s Resurrection and Wilhelm Meyer-Forster"s Alt Heidelberg. The performance succeeded but they found the distance between the reality of colonized Joseon and the situation in the translated dramas
From January in 1924 when they got into action as the professional theatrical company, Towolhoe"s performance of translated drama had two characteristics ; one is that they concentrated their efforts on ‘the creative adaptation’ and the other is that they kept performing a enlightened work and an entertaining work together continuously on the same day. Towol hoe"s ‘the creative adaptation’ is the way that the foreign original dramas were utilized in terms of the subject matters. Because according to the situation of colonized Joseon considerable parts were changed, there were much difference between the works performed and the original works. But the fundamental limits which translated dramas had, that is, alienation from the reality of colonized country were much solved and heightened the effect of performance.
The reason they took the way of performing a enlightened work and an entertaining work together was that they responded the social request which thought much of the social role of drama. Because Towolhoe was the professional theatrical company, they could perform the works which passed through Japanese censorship. Despite their effort, they could not but perform only such works as Irish dramas and Yamamoto Yujo"s Kill the Baby which adapted in Japan since the works beyond couldn"t pass the censorship. As the result, entertaining works became relatively outstanding in the performance of translated dramas. In the entertaining translated dramas, songs and dance were made active use of and the original works were often adapted according to the popular songs.
Ariranggogae, the creative work performed on the November in 1929 was the summit in which the experience of Towolhoe"s performance of translated dramas was all dissolved. This work began from the folk song Arirang which was prevalent throughout the country after the movie Arirang. This work passed the censorship, representing loving people"s separation in the foreground and connected with the phenomenon of abandoning farming those days. The reason why this work which didn"t have anything new in contents succeeded was that Towolhoe had much experience in performance. Especially Arirang which Seok Kumseong, the actor sang maximized the dramatic effect in the performance.
It was evaluated that Towolhoe"s performance of translated dramas had a great contribution to forming and settling the modern drama of colonized Joseon. It may fairly be said that the aim which its modern drama headed forward could be seen for the first time thanks to Towolhoe.