Hyŏmnyulsa () was among the earliest indoor theatres in Korea, and was supported by the
Korean Empire
The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910.
During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...
from its opening in 1902 until its closing,
[유민영, 『한국근대연극사』. 서울: 단국대학교출판부. 1996. p. 33] around 1906.
Before 1902,
Korean theatre took the forms of outdoor performance and folk theatre. In that year, Hyŏmnyulsa was established as the first modern indoor theatre in Korea, where they staged dramatized stories in
Pansori musical styles. This reformed style of Pansori was a kind of opera or music drama called
Changgeuk.
[Brandon, James R. and Martin Banham. ''The Cambridge guide to Asian Theatre.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.] Later, with strong financial support, it overpowered other private theatres and exercised great influence on other theatres.
See also
*
Ae Kwan Theater: now considered the first movie theater in the country (1895)
*
Dansungsa
Dansungsa, established in 1907, was the first movie theatre in Korea. It is located in Jongno 3-''ga'', Seoul. ''Korea Loyal Flight'' became the theatre's first ever premiere in 1919. Chunsa Na Woon-gyu's Korean folk movie, ''Arirang'', follow ...
: formerly considered to be the first movie theater (1907)
References
Korean Empire
Theatres in Korea
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