New genre of Korean theater, the future of reading plays : 2020 SusungArtpia Online Reading Drama <Wildfire> and <Omurice>

The purpose of this study is to understand the characteristics of Korean reading plays and to explore the possibility of developing the genre. After COVID-19, the world had to quickly adapt to non-face-to-face and online systems. Among them, culture, arts, and performance fields suddenly stop all activities or switch to non-face-to-face, facing a major crisis. As most of the performances were canceled, non-face-to-face online performances were conducted with aid and support from the government and various organizations. Reading plays, which were performed in the form of previews in plays, began to be recognized as a form of performance after 2010 as the online environment (video media) that increased the accessibility of the play and audiovisual elements that stimulate the interest and interest of the audience were actively utilized. Reading plays, which have rapidly grown into a new genre with the pandemic era, seek dramatic changes by realizing theatricality with the acting of the body and voice of the actor on an empty stage along with the online environment. Online reading plays specifically show the stage strategies and audience acceptance patterns chosen by the performance industry after COVID-19. In order to explore the possibility of reading plays that gradually change into various forms and attempt to narrow the distance from the audience, this paper analyzes the form and characteristics of online reading plays and reveals the value of popularity and utility of plays that contribute to the development of Korean culture and art.