By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
With modern Korean drama's centennial a year away, the National Drama Company of Korea is holding a special exhibition to mark its 57th anniversary and to provide an opportunity for people to get a glimpse of the history of drama in Korea.
The company, affiliated with the National Theater of Korea, was the birthplace of Korea's modern performing arts since it was established in 1950.
The special exhibition opened on the third floor of the National Theater's main hall, Hae, on May 10 and will continue to run through July 1.
The company is displaying 57-year-old historical items and resources used in Korean plays from the company's first production ``Wonsullang'' written by Yu Chi-jin to its latest presentation, ``Hwangsaek Yeogwan,'' or Yellow Inn, directed by Oh Tae-suk.
The company has staged 208 plays and also given special performances both at home and abroad, while witnessing the vicissitudes of modern Korean history marked by the Korean War.
The exhibition is also designed to celebrate the scheduled launching of the country's first performing arts museum, which will open in August next year to coincide with the centennial.
The company is showing about 1,000 artifacts related to Korean drama including old photos of the various sites of the national theater, scripts, posters and props used in plays.
The company will also display the costumes that were used in ``Wonsullang.''
Veteran actress Baek Sung-hee, 83, who played the role of the tragic princess in ``Wonsullang,'' has loaned fan letters that she received more than 50 years ago for the exhibition.
There are special booths dedicated to six legendary figures _ Yu Chi-jin (1905-1974), Lee Hae-rang (1916-1989), Kim Dong-won (1916-2006), Cha Bom-sok (1924-2006), Heo Gyu (1934-2000) and Lee Geun-sam (1929-2000) _ who contributed to the development of Korean drama.
Since its inception in 1950, the company has served as the only national drama organization in the country.
The company launched its ``World Masterpiece Stage'' in 1986 to introduce foreign masterpieces to Korea through performances by outstanding ensembles of works such as ``Hamlet,'' ``Le Bourgeois Gentile Homme,'' ``Uncle Vanya,'' and ``The Robbers.''
The company began to produce plays from its past repertoire such as ``Thunderstorm,'' ``Life Attachment,'' ``Wildfire,'' ``Spray of Water,'' ``The Merchant of Venice,'' and ``The Wedding Day'' from 2004.