The National Theatre And the Leading Ideologies In the Course of Its Development Cover Image
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Народният театър и водещите идеологеми в хода на неговото развитие
The National Theatre And the Leading Ideologies In the Course of Its Development

Author(s): Kamelia Nikolova
Subject(s): Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts, Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Music, Visual Arts
Published by: Институт за изследване на изкуствата, Българска академия на науките

Summary/Abstract: What is the contemporary meaning of an effort to reconstruct the history of the Bulgarian National Theatre? – This is the question that serves as a starting point of the text. The answer proposed is that in the context of contemporary situation of culture, the meaning is contained in the attempt to once archive the National Theatre as an exponent for the museums of national (regional) and world (global) cultures where it can be contemplated and examined, and, on the other hand, to be rendered as a material for recycling, that is, as something to be perpetually re-worked, and experienced again and again. The strategy chosen for reconstructing the image of the National Theatre set in the process of its century-long existence is that the theatre is realized through the light of its connection with key ideologies in the course of its development up to the end of the 80s of the 20th century. Three major ideologies have been traced as such, being consecutively dominant in the period from the beginning of the 20th century up to the end of the I World War, the period of the 20s and 30s of the 20th century and the period of the socialist epoch. The ideology of the first period is that of establishing the state (that recently gained its independence); for the second period it is the ideology of the loss of national ideals after the failure in the wars and the need for overall renewal of the state after them; for the third period – this is the ideology of constructing the socialist state. A considerable part of the text is dedicated to the analysis of the particular determinative influences of each of the above-mentioned ideologies on the institutional and aesthetic status of the National Theatre, then summarizing and defining its reconstructed historical image. The National Theatre bears two major characteristics – 1. Under the given historical circumstances, the National Theatre is established and subsequently continues to be re-established as/in the place of the whole Bulgarian theatre and; - 2.It is the focal point under whose model is formed the rest of the theatre periphery in Bulgaria, or under whose model the periphery is negatively rejecting it. In conclusion the author claims that after defining the basic status of the National Theatre, it is now comparatively easier to read and spell out the complex developments in it during the 90s of the 20th century (after the political changes in Eastern Europe) and to look for an answer to the inevitably posed question in any such historical – political recapitulations, namely: What would be one of the most adequate and useful forms of its existence in the present day? Sensing clearly that both of the problems need a separate, detailed and thorough examination, the text gives only two short comments on them. According to the first comment, the National Theatre reflection and the permanently established attitudes towards it to be considered the center in which to a certain extent is initialized or made the organization or reorganization of the theatre in Bulgaria as a whole, explains the mixing of traditional, avant-garde, popular and other types of performances on its stage during the 90s, this being an attempt to introduce to the country the variety of theatre ideas, practices and receptive strategies typical of the theatre network of the developed democratic countries. The second comment refers to the question what the National Theatre should be today, on the basis of its heritage and in the context of the contemporary cultural situation. And the answer is: As far as the Bulgarian National theatre is part of the network of European (and world) national theatres, it should be recognized by “the humanity observing all theatre productions of its own play” (Liothar) as exactly national. This would mean that the National Theatre should pre- serve and display the archive of its own and the global theatrical heritage (plays, staging and acting styles, basic value predispositions) and continually to archive the theatric existence, that is the achievements and the interesting findings of the up-to-date stage practice in the country.

  • Issue Year: 2005
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 32-35
  • Page Count: 4
  • Language: Bulgarian