본 연구는 우리나라 지역문화콘텐츠 생산과정에서 만성적인 문제점으로 부각되고 있는 지역문화콘텐츠의 정체성 구현과 차별화 방안 모색을 목적으로, 극단 벅수골의 ‘통영 로드스토리텔러’ 기획시리즈 사례를 집중 탐색하였다, 본 연구는, 자신이 살고 있는 지역에 대한 강한 장소인식을 바탕으로 지역민들의 일상에 잠재된 문화적 기억을 연극콘텐츠화 하는 작업에 일관된 노력을 기울임으로써 지역거점 극단 스스로의 정체성 확립과 함께 지역의 장소정체성 강화에 기여하고 있는 극단 벅수골 사례를 통해 “장소성 재현을 통한 지역문화콘텐츠의 정체성 확립 가능성”을 제시하고자 하였다. 극단 벅수골의 경우, 통영지역에서만 찾아볼 수 있는 독특한 자연경관, 역사, 인물, 전통문화유산, 설화 등 지역 고유 자원을 연극공연콘텐츠로 승화시킨 ‘통영 로드스토리텔러’ 기획시리즈 개발에 역량을 집중해 온 결과, 타 극단과 확연히 구별되는 독창적인 레퍼토리를 구축하였으며, 그를 기반으로 극단의 정체성 확립에 수월한 지위를 확보하고 있다. 또한, 대중들에게 소개되는 벅수골의 ‘통영 로드스토리텔러’의 작품목록은 연극 관람객들에게 통영에 대한 장소체험 기회를 제공함으로써 통영의 장소정체성을 각인시키거나 확장시키는 파급효과로 이어지며, 나아가 지역의 문화관광요소와 결합하여 ‘문화적 장소 만들기 전략’으로 확장되는 순환구조를 창출하고 있다. 결론적으로, 극단 벅수골의 지역자원 활용 창작극 발굴 사례는 지역문화콘텐츠의 정체성과 차별성을 추구하는 우리들에게 “장소에 대한 관심과 연구”가 상업적인 이윤추구 못지않게 중요하다는 사실을 깨우쳐준다는 점에서 연구의 의의를 찾을 수 있다.
This study seeks out measures for representation of its identity and differentiation in the process of reproducing locality-based cultural contents which are designated as the chronic problems in the domestic local cultural content industry. Thus, to cope with the issues, this study explores the possibility of establishing identity of local cultural contents by means of placeness-representation with the excavation case of ‘Tongyeong local Road–Storyteller series’, having been carried out during the last 5 years since 2015 by Beoksugol theater company, located in Tongyeong city, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. The list of works presented by Beoksugol yields distinctiveness from other local play troupes since it delivers embodiment of abundant historical heritage and many other cultural resources inherited in ‘Tongyeong’ as a military garrison of Navy Headquarters of Three Provinces during the Joseon Dynasty era, in addition to splendid natural scenery as a coastal city, and as a home for greatest number of prominent nationwide artists such as writers, poets, painters and composers and so on. Thorough examination over ‘Tongyeong local Road–Storyteller series’ presented by Beoksugol led to discovery of 3 characteristics. First of all, Beoksugol has reached its objective of “establishing its unique identity” as a troupe based on local community, attributable to persistently developing its repertoire system utilizing a variety of locally passed down cultural resources around Tongyeong. Secondly, Beoksugol efficiently affiliated its achievement with the reinforcement of the place-identity of Tongyeong, through performing sequential original plays with employing annually accumulated local resources. Thirdly, Beoksugol’s trace of the past performances revitalizing hidden cultural memory throughout the region eventually brought about additional result in the integration of Tongyeong City’s strategic planning for building up cultural places. Hereby, this study suggests schematization of Beoksugol’s consistent efforts to develop its original repertory with the utilization of local narrative resources, thus ultimately reconstructing and expanding place-identity by provision of chances for residents and audience from outside to “experience of the place” about Tongyeong. From here, we could discover interconnectedness, or constitutive coingredience in technical term, between place and community identity as Edward Relph claimed “place-identity in a region influences self-identity of the given regional community; in turn, community identity mutually provides and receives influences over and from place-identity”. All in all, the case of Beoksugol that successfully achieved the construction of unique identity of itself based on strong awareness of placeness in the region awakens us to the importance not merely of pursuit of commercial profits, but also of attention and close studies on ‘place’, which is the root of cultural content production entailing the communal uniqueness and originality.