A major performance stage carpenter, Jang Insang led performance stages from the 1719 Sukjong Royal Banquet and was confirmed by historical records to be the first craftsman. Lee Wandeuk led the Hwaseong Fortress performance stages of the Jeongjo period and Gichuk Jinchan performance stages of the Sunjo period. The carpenter techniques he used during the Jeongjo period were succeeded to the Sunjo period. Ahn Sungil was the head craftsman who led the performance stages of Jagyeongjeon Jinjak, Muja Jinjak, and Gichuk Jinchan of the Sujo period, under which the foundation for court palace performances was laid. The progression of major carpenters includes Jang Insang of the Sukjong period, Jeon Yoochu of the Yeongjo period, Ahn Sugil of the Sunjo period, Yoon Seoksin of the Heonjong period, Kim Yoonsik of the Gojong period, Lee Jongyoon, Kim Soongil, Seo Sangmook, and Han Sujoon. In addition, the Major Repair of Injeongjeon Hall (1857) of the Cheoljong period was the most important palace construction project for transferring the carpenters’skills. Through this project, Ahn Sungil of the Sunjo period, Kim Myeonggap, Yoon Seoksin of the Heonjong period, Kwon Deuknyang, and Kim Sungil of the Gojong period were able to interact with each other. That is, this major repair project of Injeongjeon Hall reflected the major carpenters’best techniques through performance stage construction, showing the progression of Ahn Sungil, Yoon Seokshin, and Kim Sungil, who led the constructions of Gichuk Jinchan of the Sunjo period (1829), Mushin Jinchan of the Heonjong period (1848), and Jeonghae Jinchan of the Gojong period (1887), the most impressive performance stages of the late Joseon period. The carpenters of the court performance stages participated in important construction projects of the royal palace, reflecting the superior technical skills of the carpenters in the construction of court palace performance stages. The carpenters who played a leading role in the construction of performance stages were able to interact with one another and transfer their excellent technical skills, providing the driving force that allowed court performance stages to blossom into splendid and high-quality court stages in the late Joseon Dynasty.

Royal banquets under the reign of King Sunjo saw developments in the playacting stage, which exhibited characteristics unique to the transitionary period between Jeongjo and Gojong this period established the framework of the Joseon Dynasty’s playacting stage construction. Starting with the Jagyeongjeon-Hall banquet and continuing into the Year of the Golden Rat banquet, the next-day banquet by the Crown Prince demonstrates a renewed format, with the stage also changing accordingly. This change was substantiated by more assertive use of the Red Blind and gabjang. Previously, the Red Blind has been installed in the palace hall and around the royal courtyard, to form three sides, but as next-day banquets became more frequent under Sunjo, the Red Blind developed and came to be installed in accordance with the hierarchy within the royal family. In the Year of the Golden Rat banquet, the Red Blind was lifted and the throne of the crown prince was situated in the palace hall. In the banquet of the following year, however, the Red Blind was let down and the crown prince’s throne was placed outside, in palace court yard. This seems to have been a gesture to reorient the crown prince’s political standing and restore Sunjo’s sovereignty the following year. Hence, the installation of the Red Blind developed in accordance with the royal hierarchy and ranks under Sunjo’s reign. The gabjang provided the second layer of protection for the playacting stage. The hongjeongju gabjang surrounded the stage in multiple layers and served as a partition. The gabjang from the Year of the Golden Bull banquet, in particular, boasted a unique installation, where it dangled from both sides of the royal palace’s facade. Hongjeongju gabjang, lapis lazuli gabjang, red gabjang, and yellow curtains were installed in the stated order to reflect Sunjo’s 40th birthday as well as the 30-year anniversary of his coronation. The Red Blind and gabjang from Sunjo’s years were positioned in creative ways to reinstate the royal authority, and demonstrated many improvements from those of Jeongjo’s reign.