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A discussion with Andrzej Paczkowsk and Robert Spałek moderated by Barbara Polak
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A young Slovak theatrologist puts his mind into the area of so far little explored heritage of the Slovak dramatic literature of 19th century. In connection to an important sociable movement that occurred in Europe in 1848/49, and whose component was also a national–emancipation fight of the Slovak intellectuals, that had culminated into a national-liberational revolution, many personalities involved in the fight for the Slovak national rights, devoted themselves also to writing theatre plays and organization of theatre performances, or to performing in plays, because through the dramatic art - being a comprehensible and mass accessible art - it was possible to address also to the then indifferent layers of the population, and wake their interest in the position of the Slovak in the newly formed Europe. A dramatist Viliam Paulíny-Tóth (1826 – 1877) belongs to those dramatists of the romanticism period, about whom the theatrological literature remains silent, or are mentioned just marginally. Out of his drama art it is predominantly Human Comedy, which has been perceived more in the context with Goethe´s Faust. Although there is a direct continuity only in the part of a foreplay, when Faust is dying. Mephistopheles is looking for new sphere of activity. Another play published in magazine article form was Ball Kocsurkovsky. Again, only a brief remark exists relating to the fact that the author of this comedy is Paulíny-Tóth. The same applies to the comedy Pan Slav. Pan Slav Lysický is worthy of remark not only due to the fact that Lysický used to be one of the author´s assumed names. It brings an entirely different picture of a romantic hero, when compared with the images produced in other Slovak romantic dramatic art. Completely outside the theatrologists´ attention was found the tragedy Matúš. While Human Comedy connects the historical aspect with temporary and dummy ones, and they both are penetrated by allegorical aspects, Matúš is a tragedy aiming at being consistently dived into history, and trying to provide its true reflection. History and the character of Matúš ČÁK were to inspire towards bravery and heroism also the Slovak nation. The tragedy is created out of fragments linked alongside, often lacking casual and time consequence. Fragments create segments of Matúš ČÁK´ s life and of characters who contributed in shaping, or co-creating of that particular period. Maybe due to the fact the text was preserved only in the form of a manuscript, it had remained outside the attention of theatrologists. Valuable information on the status of the Slovak drama and theatre in the period of romanticism can be found also through the adaptation of Hugo´ s play Pomsta otcova (Father´s Revenge). This piece of art has also been preserved in the form of a manuscript. It is connected to a question of what was its relationship towards Hodo Sitňan, who is included from the opposite side of Pomsta otcova.
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First chapters of the history of the artistic elocution in Slovakia have started by living, and by activities of Celts, Romes and Slavonians. The author, being a very experienced recitor herself, after graduating from the university, has started putting her interest in the issue of the artistic elocution also from the theoretical side, by analysing the historic materials, places of springs in Slovakia unknown so far, or unresearched from this aspect, and she has found elements and forms of lecturing, and artistic elocution in these nations. She has been trying to find the sense and place of a publicly recited, or declared word in their spiritual, sociable and cultural life; she has been trying to characterise first forms of these, sometimes almost artistic manifestations. The study begins by the characteristics of three main types of the recitors – a sapient recitor, then she continues by the reconstruction of Celts lives on the grounds of an already existing literature on this ethnics in Europe, and by searching with regard to a connection to our territory. In the interpretation of the Roman period in the territory of Slovakia, the author is applying also results of the latest archeological researches carried out in our country, but makes use also of the old Roman literature touching upon the issue of the public elocution. The elaboration of the eldest Slavonian period before forming the civil formation is based on works of the Czech scientist L.. Niederle, on historical records and folklore material. Next part is published in the following issue.
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1. Miloš Mistrík: Monografia o Léonovi Chancerelovi / Monography on Léon Chancerel Maryline Romain: Léon Chancerel. Un réformateur du théâtre français. Lausanne : L’Age d’Homme, 2005, strán 432. 2. Ladislav Čavojský: Štyri knihy o českom ochotníctve / Four Books on Czech Amateur Theatre Jan CÍSAŘ (ed.): Cesty českého amatérského divadla. Vývojové tendence. Praha : IPOS – Informační a poradenské středisko pro místní kulturu, 1998, 447 strán. Jiří VALENTA (ed.): Bibliografie českého amatérského divadla. Praha : IPOS – Informační a poradenské středisko pro místní kulturu, 1999, 215 strán. Vítězslava ŠRÁMKOVÁ a Jiří VALENTA (ed.): Místopis českého amatérského divadla I. díl A – M. Praha : IPOS – Informační a poradenské středisko pro místní kulturu, 2001, 518 strán. Vítězslava ŠRÁMKOVÁ a Jiří VALENTA (ed.): Místopis českého amatérského divadla II. díl N – Ž. Praha : IPOS – Informační a poradenské středisko pro místní kulturu, 2002, 780 strán. 3. Jan Vedral: Veľká herečka malej divadelnej kultúry / Great Actress of Small theatrical Culture Barbara Sušec Michieli: Marija Vera (Igralka v dinamičnem labirintu kultur). Ljubljana : Slovenski gledališki muzej a Univerzo, 2005. 4. Dagmar Podmaková: Vstup kunsthistoričiek do dejín slovenského divadla / The Art-Historian´s Entry into the History of the Slovak Theatre Iva Mojžišová, Dagmar Poláčková: Slovenská divadelná scénografia. Slovak Stage Design 1920-2000. Bratislava: Slovenská národná galéria; Divadelný ústav, 2004. Strán 320. 5. Anton Kret: O ľudovom triptychu Ľubomíra Feldeka / On Folk Triptych by Ľubomír Feldek Ľubomír Feldek: Tri hry (Hraj, noha a ty, druhá, tancuj, Z dreva vyrezané, Horor v horárni). Ako druhý zväzok vybraných spisov Ľubomíra Feldeka a 0ľgy Feldekovej vydali Ľubomír Feldek a Ivan Panenka. Vydanie prvé. Zodpovedná redaktorka Ľubomíra Hornáčková. Ilustrácie Dušan Polakovič. Grafický dizajn Ľubomír Krátky. Tlač Faber.
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In his contribution a prominent Slovak opera critic and theorist analyses the shapes of directorial interpretations of Mozart´s operas in the Slovak National Theatre Opera stagings during years 1920 — 2001. Out of panorama of contemporary conventional, and with regard to its theatrical staging not very inventionally produced Mozart´s operas, some outstanding aesthetic actions have been emerging. In the period between wars, the staging of Magic Flute (1938) by director Viktor ŠULC (Max REINHARD´s student) can be used to demonstrate the connection of the Slovak theatre with post- expressionist development of the middle–European opera theatre. In the period after the end of World War II stagings of the director Karl JERNEK represent the effort to equal with certain ideological and poetic compromises of realism established by the contemporary official aesthetics. The evidence is seen on two stagings of Don Giovanni (1956 and 1961). The first one is orientated to the contemporary understanding of realism, the second is a bit diverted, and the scenographic descriptiveness is substituted by an emphasis on the historionic work, and the effort to update the historionic leading towards the psychological miniature, towards tracking of the internal intention of the character, and towards picturing certain existentialistic dimension of acting persons. He also made a staging of Magic Flute (1949). JERNEK´s peer, an outstanding director from Brno Miloš WASSERBAUER created two stagings of Mozart´s operas The Marriage of Figaro (1955) and Magic Flute T(1969) in Bratislava, which exceed the contemporary requirements towards realism and aim at seeking the ideal and psychological dimension of Mozart´s musical – dramatic characters. While 70-ties and 80- ties are considered to be the years of declination (decadence, or stagnation) in the Slovak National Theatre Opera with regard to directorial interpretation of Mozart´s operas, after 1989 new staging tendencies have been developing. Milan SLÁDEK, a pantomime and director of the pantomime theatre, made a staging of The Marriage of Figaro (1991) in the form of a puppet theatre. Through puppets representing types of commedie dell´arte, in the opera staging of The Marriage of Figaro, he is revealing mainly erotic situations, which were in the previous stagings of The Marriage of Figaro outlined with decency, and is using a type of skittishness, which could – when compared to puppets – hardly be achieved by opera actors. Towards modern directorial theatre tendencies in opera during break through of 20th and 21th century have been approaching Mozart´s stagings of operas Cosi fan tutte by director Pavol SMOLÍK (1998), and Don Giovanni by director Jozef BEDNÁRIK (2001). Both have artistically valuable and problem sides.
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The author is describing the genesis and development of studio theatres in the above mentioned period in Slovakia, while naming the pecularities of the Slovak situation. She is reminding conditions of their origin in short, and comparing them with the situation in the Czech Republic, mainly from the point of view of their institutional classification, but also artistic effort. For example, the Czech theatre troupes like the theatre from Brno Husa na provázku, Ha-Divadlo, Studio Ypsilon from Liberec, Činoherné Studio from Ústí nad Labem, started like amateurish troups, and later became professional. The Slovak theatricals did not separate from their mother theatres, making use of the possibility to function alongside with a regular theatre operation. They used to play in untraditional spaces, e.g. in the underground rooms of the theatre, museums, chapels, or in a non-approved boiler-hause of the new theatre building in Prešov.
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A theatrical critic and historian specialized in the puppet show theatre, is analyzing the effort of the first Slovak professional marionettist Ján STRAŽAN. The Slovak theatricals together with the first Slovak tribal professional marionettist, were the building process components in establishing the basis of the modern Slovak culture. The name Ján STRAŽAN was found in the archives in the beginning of 19th century (1st July 1856 Varín – 15th September 1939 Trnava). He is the founder of the marionette dynasty that has been performing the puppet show theatre without interruption already for more than hundred and twenty years. STRAŽAN´s theatrical activity in the 19th century falls into the period after the Austrian – Ugrian equalization, when Slovakia was facing the striking pressure of magyarization. Similarly like private theatricals, also this theatre was satisfying the aims of the national enlightenment through the form of using a national language. Ján STRAŽAN belonged among the middle-European tribal comedians, who were performing the marionette theatre within its baroque tradition, what can be judged mostly by its repertoire, puppets and scene. Puppets that were with a high probability used for performing by the eldest marionettist Ján STRAŽAN, came from the series of eighteen pieces of puppets sized 79 to 86 cm, where can also be found portrait puppets of the family – recognizable and with photographs comparable are at least puppets of Ján STRAŽAN and his son Viliam. These can be seen in collections of the Slovak National Museum in the Ethnographic Museum in Martin. This collection of puppets was created by the famous Slovak folk wood-carver František BREZŇANSKÝ from Hodruša. The fact that Ján STRAŽAN was except of the marionette theatre performing also the repertoire of drama theatres confirms his effort to become involved into then crucial cultural happening. Viliam STRAŽAN (29thApril 1882 – 16thApril 1934), the son of Ján STRAŽAN from the first marriage, was a famous Slovak descendent, or rather „co-wayfarer“ of his father. Within her research the author found a very interesting documenting material – a poster of „ the Slovak National Theatre“ of Viliam STRAŽAN dated from the later period, year 1922. The poster contains not only the names of plays, but also the cast together with other documents. The fact that Viliam STRAŽAN stopped working in the theatre that had been founded by himself in 1921 is known. He built a tent in Bratislava, where he renewed the theatre and bought a shooting gallery to be the part of it. He was not lucky though, because a strong whirlwind in 1924 damaged costly furnished tents, demolished decorations and a stage construction. The puppets that were placed in a caravan were saved just by a coincidence. Viliam STRAŽAN´s descendent was his son Jozef STRAŽAN senior (born 16th July 1912, died 6th May 1967) the father of the actor Jozef STRAŽAN from the DJZ in Prešov.
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A prominent Slovak theatrical theoretist and critic is publishing a chapter from the prepared monography on the French director Jacques COPEAU. The theatre Old Dovecot (Vieux-Colombier) led by Jacques COPEAU had a very successful season in 1913/1914. It brought a new approach to the historionic art and a new conception of scenography, a new way of directing, and caused that France was linked with similar movements related to theatre renewal that had been originating in that period mainly in Germany, Russia, but also in other European countries. Shortly before summer 1914 Jacques COPEAU parted with his audience promising to open the theatre again in autumn, with a further development with regard to the programme renewal. But the World War I started. Jacques COPEAU and other actors were recruited and the theatre VIEUX-COLOMBIER Dovecot was closed. The then Prime Minister of the French Government Georges CLEMENCEAU personally suggested to COPEAU to make a tour to the United States of America. From the abroad cultures in the USA of that time, was fully dominating German culture. The permanent German theatre that had been performing in New York, was considered the best in the city, Max REINHARDT got a lot of finance resources to export his stagings into American cities. CLEMENCEAU was fully aware of the art power and besides that, he was a frequent visitor of the VIEUX-COLOMBIER, and moreover, he himself was a man of letters. Jacques COPEAU accepted his offer. He le for America in January 1917. He took with him lectures on his theatrical intentions, which he had planned to offer overseas. An important lecture was organized for him at the Harvard University, where he had a an admirer in the person of a professor Georg Pierce BAKER, whose courses were attended besides others also by Eugene O’Neill. Further lectures were held in New York. The main success was achieved by persuading the maecenas Otto H. KAHN a Francophile who supported the modern art. By the end of 1917 he suggested to COPEAU the same thing what had done before him Georges CLEMENCEAU– to tranfer the whole VIEUX-COLOMBIER to the USA. The introductory performance of the American era of the VIEUX-COLOMBIER theatre took place on 27th November 1917.
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Polemika: K štúdii O. Panovovej „Odkaz medzivojnovej avantgardy v slovenskom divadle“, Slovenské divadlo 2/06, s. 319-333
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