You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Meiji-za (Japanese: 明治座, Korean: 명치좌; RR: Myeongchi-jwa) was a theater in Keijō (Seoul), Korea, Empire of Japan. It opened on October 7, 1936, and was located in Myeong-dong.[1] Upon the liberation of Korea in 1945, the theater became owned by Koreans. It was renamed a number of times until it closed in 1973 and was used as an office building. It reopened in 2009 as Myeongdong Theater, which still operates today.
| Meiji-za | |
|---|---|
明治座 | |
 The building in 1937 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Myeongdong Theater (successor) |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Keijō (Seoul) |
| Country | Korea, Empire of Japan |
| Coordinates | 37°33′50″N 126°59′03″E / 37.5638°N 126.9843°E |
| Named for | Emperor Meiji |
| Opened | October 7, 1936 |
| Closed | 1945 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 1,100 |
History
editThe theater was named for the Japanese Emperor Meiji. It had one underground floor and four above-ground floors that could seat 1,100 people. It mainly catered to Japanese settlers in Korea, and showed mainly Japanese-language productions. The building's design was inspired by that of famous theater in Japan Taishokwan.[2]
After the liberation of Korea in 1945, the theater was renamed in January 1946 to International Theater (Korean: 국제극장; RR: Gukje Geukjang). It was renamed again in December 1947 to Shigonggwan (시공관), and began screening movies.[1] On June 1, 1957, it was renamed to Myeongdong Arts Center (명동예술회관), and in 1962 it was again renamed to Myeongdong National Theater (명동국립극장).[1] It closed in 1973, as a new national theater opened at Namsan Mountain. The building was sold to a financial company and used as an office.[2] The building was in danger of being demolished for a long period of time after that, but a movement arose in the performing arts community to preserve it. As part of these efforts, the building was purchased by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2009,[2] and it reopened as Myeongdong Theater on June 5, 2009.[1][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "명동예술극장". Korean Movie Database (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ^ a b c 정, 치영 (2023-11-09). "[반세기, 기록의 기억] (96) 명동예술극장". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-03-12.
- ^ "Myeongdong Theater (명동예술극장)". VisitKorea.or.kr. Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
External links
edit