Domestic Space and Professional Identity among Hungarian Actors in the Late 19th Century
Domestic Space and Professional Identity among Hungarian Actors in the Late 19th Century

Summary/Abstract: This study investigates the social and theatre-historical significance of actors’ homes within the broader framework of research on the social dimensions of the acting profession in the 19th century. Focusing on Hungarian-language theatre, it examines the intersection of performers’ lifestyles and their homes, using the career of Kornélia Prielle as a case study. It explores how the internal structure of an actress’s home (with its defined values, microstructures of power, and reflections of lifestyle patterns as both material frameworks and spatial experiences) can be linked to the contemporary construction of professional identity. In this context, the findings contribute to understanding the embodied performative practices of the actress in question. Drawing from the correspondence and archival records of Kornélia Prielle and her husband, actor Kálmán Szerdahelyi, the study reconstructs their shared domestic space, revealing insights into their standing within the professional community, their living and financial circumstances, and performative aspects of Kornélia Prielle’s career, including her repertoire and specific type-role.

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