산의 모습을 갖춘 무대 구조물을 의미했던 ‘산대(山臺)’는 오늘날 서울 · 경기 지역의 가면극을 지칭하는 용어인 ‘산대놀이’, ‘산대도감놀이’ 등의 명칭에 사용되고 있다. 이에 ‘산대’, ‘산대도감’이라는 용어가 서울·경기 지역 가면극의 명칭에 사용되게 된 경위를 밝히고자 본 연구를 진행하였다. 국가의 여러 공식 행사에서 거대한 규모의 구경거리를 제공하던 산대는 조선 후기부터 여러 폐단이 발생함에 따라 그 규모가 축소되기 시작했다. 국가 차원의 산대는 점차 축소되는 반면, 산대의 연행 주체가 점차 민간의 연희자들로 변화되는 모습이 나타난다. 나례가 폐지되고 산대 또한 더 이상 설치되지 않음에 따라 나례도감, 산대도감과 같이 그와 관련한 국가임시기구는 자연스럽게 모습을 감추게 되었다. 하지만 산대에 동원되었던 연희자들은 민간에서 ‘산대’의 모습을 재현함으로써 자신들의 연희 흥행을 이루고자 하였다. 나아가 연희자들은 국가로부터 부름을 받아 활동했다는 것에 대한 자부심이자, 자신들의 연희에 대한 정당성을 표출하는 수단으로써 ‘산대’ 및 ‘산대도감’을 자신들의 연희, 혹은 스스로를 지칭하는 용어에 포함시켜 사용하였을 것이다. 산대에 동원되었던 다양한 연희들 가운데 가면극이 대표성을 지니게 된 근거는 가면극의 특성을 통해 확인할 수 있다. 우선 가면극은 과거 산대에 동원되었던 여러 연희 가운데, 그 자체로 다양한 볼거리를 제공하는 가장 장르적 독립성을 갖춘 장르이다. 또한, 가면을 통해 제2의 자아를 부여받은 연희자가 극의 형식을 통해 조선 후기 사회의 폐단을 폭로하고, 당시 백성들의 설움을 표출할 수 있었던 장르로, 과거 산대에 동원되었던 다양한 연희 가운데 대표성을 지니게 되었을 가능성이 충분하다. 더불어 과거 산대가 설치되었던 중국 사신의 행차 경로 및 사습의 장소가 본산대놀이의 근거지로 알려진 애오개(아현), 사직골, 구파발, 녹번등의 지역과 지리적으로 밀접한 관련이 있다는 점에서 가면극이 산대의 대표성을 지니는 이유를 찾을 수 있다.
‘Sandae(山臺)’, which meant a stage structure in the shape of a mountain, is today used in names such as ‘Sandaenori’ and ‘Sandaedogamnori’, which are terms referring to the mask play in Seoul and Gyeong-gi. Accordingly, this study aims to reveal the circumstance by which the term “Sandae,” which used to refer to the stage in the past, was used as the name of mask play in Seoul and Gyeong-gi. Records about “Sandae” date back to the reign of King Jinheung of Silla. Sandae, which previously provided a large-scale spectacle at various official national events, began to shrink in size as various negative aspects arose in the late Joseon Dynasty. While the size of Sandae installed by the state is gradually decreasing, in the private sector, Sandae was installed by performers, and a group of performers named “Sandaepae” began to appear. It means that the entity responsible for carrying out Sandae has changed from the state to the private sector. On the other hand, Sandaedogam and Naryedogam naturally disappeared as Narye was abolished and Sandae was no longer installed. Performers who were mobilized to Sandae began performing in the private sector to make a living. They tried to achieve popularity in the private sector by reproducing some of the forms of Sandae, which was a major attraction provided by the gover㎚ent in the past. The reason why performers used Sandae, which was installed at official events organized by the state, as a term to refer to their performances or themselves was to express pride and legitimacy in receiving the call of the nation. Among the various performances mobilized in Sandae, the basis for mask play’s representativeness can be confirmed through the characteristics of mask play. The mask play is a genre with genre independence, and is a comprehensive performing arts genre that can provide various attractions by itself. Also, the mask play was a genre that was able to expose the evils of society in the late Joseon Dynasty and express the sorrow of the people at the time through the form of a play, so it would have become representative among the various performances. In addition, the route of the Chinese envoy’s journey and the location of practices of Narye, where Sandae was installed in the past, were geographically closely related to regions such as Aeogae(Ahyeon), Sajikgol, Gupabal, and Nokbeon, which are known as the bases of the Bonsandaenori, so mask play could have been a representative performance of the Sandae. Mask play was popular in Seoul and Gyeong-gi Province, and would have gradually spread to various regions. Sandaenori in Hanyang would have used a stage in the shape of a small mountain. However, when touring in other regions, it would not have been easy to have the appearance of a Sandae. Therefore, it seems that the name of Sandaenori disappeared and names such as “Tal-nori”, “Tal-Dance”, “Yaryu”, and “Ogwangdae” began to be used in various regions.