Gh. Asachi – Elements of Theatrical Theory
Gh. Asachi – Elements of Theatrical Theory

Summary/Abstract: Gheorghe Asachi (1788−1869) is one of the Romanian National Theatre founders at the beginning of the 19th century. His plays, prefaces and practical activity made him count among the most important contributors to the development of Romanian theatrical life in the city of Iaşi and one of the first Romanian theatre theoreticians. He had sustained efforts and remarkable results to establish a national theatre in which the actors performing in Romanian would rely on appropriate language usage and stage speech that no longer resembled a dialect or a means of communication inferior to that of the European languages. The scholar’s theatrical theory is to be approached in the context of his efforts and his obvious accomplishments in achieving genuine Romanian staging. His initiatives are those of a pioneer for whom performing in a means of developing the national culture. For that reason he translated, adapted and staged in Iaşi, December 12, 1816, the first performance in Romanian, Mirtil şi Hloe/ Myrtle and Chloe. Asachi’s cultural activity proved him a skilful manager and a true founder. He started staging plays first with amateurs, he cofounded an institution in which they could learn the basics of this art, the Iaşi Drama and Philharmonic Conservatory (November 15, 1836), he encouraged them to play in Romanian in the European manner of the times, he both translated and adapted a series of plays, he wrote plays in Romanian himself that were later published and staged. He is also considered the first Romanian artistic director and sets designer.

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