Oh Tae-sok (born 1940) is a South Korean playwright and theater director.
1. Life
Oh Tae-sok was born in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province. The Korean War broke out when he was ten years old, causing his childhood to be torn apart. His father, a politician, was kidnapped, causing Oh to become a refugee, where he witnessed countless deaths. Oh later went on to study philosophy at Yonsei University. In 1963, while still a student, he established the egalitarian theatrical company Circuit Stage (Donginje geukdan). Upon his graduation in 1964, he immediately threw himself into writing and directing.
Oh Tae-sok made his formal literary debut with his play Wedingdeureseu (웨딩드레스 Wedding Dress), which won the 1967 Chosun Ilbo New Writer's Contest, and Hwanjeolgi (환절기 Change of Season), which won a prize in a 1968 open playwriting competition co-sponsored by the National Theater and the Kyunghyang Shinmun. In 1968 and 1969 his plays Hwanjeolgi; Yudayeo, dalgi ulgi jeone (유다여, 닭이 울기 전에 Judas, Before the Rooster Crows); Gyohaeng (교행 Outing); and Rolleoseukeiteureul taneun ottugi (롤러스케이트를 타는 오뚜기 Self-Righting Doll on Roller Skates) were performed in several avant-garde theaters. He next took up residence with the Dongnang Repertory Company, where he directed Murray Schisgal's Luv. In 1984 he founded the Mokwha Repertory Company, where he continues to write and direct today.
2. Writing
Oh Tae-sok is known as a theater director and playwright who is extremely adept at portraying the Korean state of mind. Oh Tae-sok's plays have many elements in common with traditional Korean plays. On stage the characters of his plays do not carry on static, realistic conversations, but rather engage in vibrant song and dance or wear animal masks while dashing about on stage; exaggerated movements and make-up are also frequently used. Despite the loud, raucous atmosphere on stage, Oh Tae-sok's work depicts the darkness of pain and the shadows of death. The story behind this lies in his childhood memories.
As a writer, director and producer, Oh has been active in diverse fields for 40 years, directing over 60 creative theatrical works. He has established his own independent theatrical world with experimental and creative plays that utilize Korea’s traditional materials and performance technique, and has contributed to establishing the identity of Korean theater by incorporating elements of ancient Greek drama, Shakespeare, folklore performances from various countries and Brecht into a new artistic order.
Oh has also worked to preserve and revive overlooked dialects from the Korean language. He has collected dialects including Hamgyong, Jeju, Pyongan, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, Chungcheong, Yanbian, and Korean town in Osaka, and through performances developed them into theatrical languages, contributing largely to the creation of a general stage language in Korea.
Oh is known for such works as Tae (태 The Life Cord), Chunpungui cheo (춘풍의 처 Chunpung’s Wife), Jajeongeo (자전거 The Bicycle), Bujayuchin (부자유친 Intimacy between Father and Son), Simcheongineun wae du beon indangsue momeul deonjyeonneunga (심청이는 왜 두 번 인당수에 몸을 던졌는가 Why Did Sim Cheong Throw Herself into the Sea Twice?), Romeo and Juliet, Naesarang DMZ (내사랑 DMZ My Love DMZ), Yonghosangbak (용호상박 Equally Matched), The Tempest, and Dotori (도토리 Acorn). Around 20 collections of his plays have been published in Korean, English, German, Japanese and Polish.
