Budallai

Author(s): Luigi Pirandello / Language(s): Albanian Issue: 12/2017

Në skenë duket modeste tavolina e shkrimit të Leopoldo Paronit, drejtor i gazetës “Vedetta Repubblicana” të Kostanovas. Selia e gazetës është në të njëjtin vend ku banon Paroni, kreu i Partisë Republikane; dhe meqë Paroni i përbuz të gjitha komoditetet dhe (siç duket) edhe pastërtinë, rrëmujë dhe pisllëk kanë të gjitha mobiliet e vjetra dhe të lëna pas dore, gjithashtu edhe në tokë. Shihet tavolina e mbushur me letra të bëra pirg; karriget andej këndej, gjithashtu pirgje me libra dhe shkresa; gazeta kudo; rafti i librave, me librat të hedhura nëpër kuti lesh e li; një divan i vogël prej lëkure, me një jastëk krevati, i pistë, krejt i shqyer dhe me puplat që i dalin jashtë. Holli ndodhet në të majtë të aktorit.

Teatri tragjik

Author(s): Ag Apolloni / Language(s): Albanian Issue: 19/2020

This article interprets Aristotle’s notions of tragedy, considering each in relation to the function of catharsis, which plays a purifying role for the public. The article begins with an example from a hypothetical performance of Oedipus the King, and concludes with a hypothesis that overturns the concept of catharsis in antiquity, using in particular Aeschylus’s tragedy The Persians. Between the preliminary examples and the final hypothesis, the article also addresses problems of imitation, genre and composition. Conceived as a terminological reading of Aristotle’s Poetics, the article is a meta-criticism of Ancient Greek tragedy.

„БАЛКАНСКАТА КОМЕДИЯ“ НА БОРЮ ЗЕВЗЕКА – ИЗМЕРЕНИЯ НА СМЕШНОТО

Author(s): Roman Hadzhikosev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2021

The article presents a little-known Bulgarian literary work, the play "Balkan Comedy" by Boris Rumenov (Boryu Zevzeka). It was written during the Balkan Wars (1912-1918) and presents the relations between the Balkan states at that time in an allegorical way. The play is the most popular work of Boris Rumenov, who, before and after the wars, was the editor-in-chief of one of the most successful humorous newspapers in Bulgaria called "Drum". He and Stoyan Shakle, one of Rumenov’s closest friends, who wrote for the newspaper, founded a touring theater. They performed all over the country for years and the most popular play was "Balkan Comedy". During the First World War, the play was performed on all fronts of the Bulgarian army, usually by amateur actors, and it generated incredible enthusiasm and patriotic inspiration, thus enjoying a huge success. "Balkan Comedy" was an essential part of the theatrical performances, which also included songs, sketches, recitations and other popular forms of entertainment. As it reflected the actual historical events, the play was presented in its first three acts until 1918, and after the end of the war, the author added a fourth act, which, however, had a different emphasis from the end of the third one.

“You have served me well:" The Shakespeare Empire in Central Europe

Author(s): Pavel Drábek / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

Shakespeare has often served as an instrument of cultural colonialism. In this essay I argue that the current practice of Shakespeare studies in many ways replicates this pattern. By priming the discourse through Shakespeare, it perpetuates logocentric regimes of knowledge that tend to impose reductive perspectives—such as the binaries of Shakespeare’s original–adaptation and that of the author–adapter, but also scripture–exegesis, London–province or London–Continent, centre–periphery and empire–colonial subjects. Drawing on case studies from five centuries—of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century travelling performers, through eighteenth-century German theatre, to twentieth- and twenty-first-century writing and performance, I argue for a need to revisit the logocentric and colonial epistemology. I call for breaking away from the critical heritage of the “Shakespeare Empire,” for reconceptualising how we use Shakespeare, and for refocusing our critical attentions to the thick descriptions of cultures and crafts that make and host Shakespeare.

“…noxiousness of my work:” Miroslav Macháček’s 1971 "Henry V" at the Normalized National Theatre

Author(s): Martin Pšenička / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The essay focuses on the 1971 production of William Shakespeare’s rarely staged historical drama Henry V, directed by Czech director Miroslav Macháček at the Prague National Theatre in a new translation by Czech literary historian and translator Břetislav Hodek. Macháček staged the play shortly after the 1968 occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops. The premiere of the play provoked negative reactions from influential Communist officials, including the leading post-1968 politician Vasil Biľak. Macháček’s performance, which, in the director’s words, was intended as a universal anti-war parable, became a political topicality that the newly emerging normalisation authorities understood as a deliberate political, anti-socialist provocation. The essay traces the background of the production, including the translation of the play, and the consequences of the staging for Macháček. At the same time, it attempts to unravel a number of ambiguities and ambivalences associated with the period of normalization (1970s and 1980s) and its research. A special focus is given to the production itself as it disturbed the audience with its ambivalence. In this analytical section, the essay works with Norman Rabkin’s conception of Henry V, as presented in his essay “Rabbits, Ducks, and Henry V,” which traces Shakespeare’s complex grasp of the historical figure and the events associated with Henry. Macháček, who staged the play several years before this essay by Rabkin, pursued similar intentions with his stage concept. It was this unsettling ambivalence that carried within it the features of both a parable and a political gesture that spoke out against the communist occupation.

Dramaturgy of "Hamlet"(s) in Czech Theatre between 2000 and 2023

Author(s): David Drozd / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The paper focuses on five Czech productions of Hamlet that attracted the most critical and public attention between 2000 and 2023. Namely, the productions directed by Miroslav Krobot (2006), Jan Mikulášek (2009), Daniela Špinar (2013), Michal Dočekal (2021) and finally the most recent version by Jakub Čermák (2022). All five performances could be seen as contemporary reinterpretations of a classical text using a (post-)modern stylistic approach, as examples of post-millennium Hamlets. The paper discusses dramaturgical choices (such as the conceptualisation of the ghost, the mousetrap scene, or the character of Fortinbras) in order to identify and analyse possibilities for interpreting Hamlet as a political drama in the context of Czech performance tradition and the current political situation. The results show that performances generally present variations of Hamlet as a family drama, foregrounding different issues of memory and body, while the political reading is obsolete.

Framing Polish-Jewish Relations Through Shakespeare in Post-war and Contemporary Polish Theatre

Author(s): Tomasz Kowalski / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The paper aims to analyse how the staging of Shakespeare’s texts in post-war and contemporary Poland reflected the indifferent and hostile attitudes of Poles towards Jews, particularly during the Holocaust, and the distortions and gaps in the collective memory regarding the events. In the first part, the author focuses on Hamlet Study (dir. Jerzy Grotowski) performed in 1964 by Laboratory Theatre of 13 Rows in Opole, which is symptomatic of silencing the matter during the communist period. The second part draws from the statement of Jan Ciechowicz, a Polish theatre historian, who claimed that “the Holocaust killed Shylock for Polish stage.” While verifying it, the author analyses selected aspects of three productions directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski (The Tempest (2003), The Merchant of Venice (1994) and The African Tales by Shakespeare (2011)) and juxtaposes them against the background of the changes in collective memory. He argues that the most cogent productions concerning Polish attitudes towards Jews are those that position the audience as witnesses of the acts of re-enacted violence and thus provoke an affective response.

No Calm After the Storm. A Decade of "The Tempest" in Polish Theatres (2012–2021)

Author(s): Agnieszka Romanowska / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The article discusses twelve productions based on The Tempest shown in Polish theatres in the years 2012-21, a decade whose challenges included escalation of the migration crisis, increasing climate change, social and political unrest around much of the globe, and the covid pandemic, but which was also marked by important Shakespearean anniversaries. In order to inspect the play’s significance for contemporary Polish audiences the productions are scrutinised in relation to four categories of interrelated issues: modification of characters, depiction of suspended reality connected with sleep, dreaming, memory and recollection, references to current social and political challenges, and employment of the play’s meta-artistic potential. The productions’ interpretative tendencies reveal a number of common denominators which are analysed with an aim of explaining why, in today’s Poland, the possibility of reconciliation and return to some form of re-established order that the playwright contemplates is seen as very difficult, if not impossible.

Passion and Politics in Diego de Brea and Jakub Čermák’s "Edward II": Marlowe’s Controversial History on Czech Stages

Author(s): Ivona Misterova,Filip Krajník / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The present article outlines the stage history of Christopher Marlowe’s history Edward II on Czech stages, focusing chiefly on how the respective directors approached the titular character of Marlowe’s play and his sexuality. The study focuses on two post-2000 productions of the play: Diego de Brea’s Edvard Drugy for the Slovenian National Theatre, which toured to the 16th “Divadlo” International Theatre Festival in Pilsen, West Bohemia, in 2008; and Jakub Čermák’s production of Edvard II. for the independent Czech theatre company “Depresivní děti touží po penězích” (Depressive Children Yearn for Money) that premiered in 2023 in Prague. Since for both Czechs and Slovenians, King Edward II is a minor figure of English history and Elizabethan history plays are generally less appealing to them than other genres, both the directors sideline the political dimension of the story to fully explore the issue of social and sexual norms and relate it to current social and cultural discussions both in the West and the former Eastern Bloc. Stressing the motif of social and sexual otherness even more bravely than most recent Western productions, de Brea and Čermák offered not only valuable contributions to both local and global reception of Marlowe’s Edward II, but also raised the visibility of LGBT theatre in a region where it has only a modest history and tradition.

I dwell in my memory

Author(s): Stefan Çapaliku,Ag Apolloni / Language(s): English Issue: 27/2022

Interview with Stefan Çapaliku by Ag Apolloni.

Unë banoj në kujtesën time

Author(s): Stefan Çapaliku,Ag Apolloni / Language(s): Albanian Issue: 27/2022

Interview with Stefan Çapaliku by Ag Apolloni.

Legyél te a 2024/4. lapszámunk drámaszerzője! Pályázati felhívás kortárs drámaszöveg írására

Author(s): Andrea Zsigmond,Réka Dunkler / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 1/2024

The theatre journal Játéktér and the ‘Monthly Drama in Satu Mare’ programme are launching a call for new dramatic texts on the theme of vertical vs. horizontal theatre, which is the focus of the issue 2024/4 of the journal. The winning entry will be published in the above-mentioned issue and may also be presented in a staged reading by the actors of the “Harag György” Company in the 2024/2025 theatre season in Satu Mare. Deadline: 15 September 2024.

Tom Clayton (December 15, 1932 – August 9, 2023)

Author(s): Monica Matei-Chesnoiu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Queerowa historia. Doświadczenie obozu jenieckiego w perspektywie osób queer w dramacie Julii Holewińskiej "Katyń. Teoria barw"

Author(s): Weronika Żyła / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2024

In this work, the author undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the drama Katyń. Teoria barw [The drama of Katyń. The theory of colors] by Julia Holewińska within the framework of queer theory. The study addresses the significance of this exploration, emphasising the limited representation of non-normative groups in historical narratives, a consequence of the specific political trajectory adapted by the then government. The article posits that artistic expressions, such as films, books, or performances, can be construed as counter-hegemonic interventions within the realm of the arts. In this regard, the artistic domain stands out as a unique space where marginalised histories find a platform for development. The Katyn massacre is a poignant symbol within Polish memory policies, and Katyń. Teoria barw disrupts the official narrative surrounding this historical event by incorporating the experiences of queer persons and women into the storyline. The theoretical underpinnings of this research encompass concepts related to counter-memory, the performance of history, queer theory, and its influence on altering historical narratives, along with the application of Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic model of democracy. The analysis of the drama reveals the potential for constructing a counter-historical narrative, characterising it as an endeavour that challenges the hegemony of the system by reclaiming aspects of Polish history through artistic activities. Holewińska’s narrative is presented as a paradigm of counter-hegemonic artistic practice, employing tools that subvert hegemony. These tools include the deconstruction of the dominant heterosexual and masculine fiction through the introduction of a counter-historical narrative portraying the homosexual camp experience, and the representation of the body using categories described by Ewa Domańska as “necros.”

RESTAGING SHAKESPEARE: A “READER” RESPONSE TO PETER BROOK’S HAMLET

Author(s): Georgeta Matei / Language(s): English Issue: 6/2024

This article explores Hamlet’s filmic and theatrical adaptation history. By examining Peter Brook’s reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s work, we show how the theatre director’s new version of Hamlet challenges the traditional, formal understanding of the play across temporal and cultural boundaries. The Tragedy of Hamlet foregrounds the play’s universal themes over its historical specificity, utilizing diverse casting and symbolic staging to emphasize its global relevance. The article explains how Brook’s deconstruction and reconstruction of the text impact contemporary perceptions, arguing that while the adaptation alters the play’s context, it maintains the core elements of Hamlet’s character and his existential dilemmas. By engaging with theories of intertextuality and readership, the analysis suggests that adaptation serves as a form of co-authorship, with directors and readers contributing to the evolving myth of “Hamlet.” The enduring fascination with “Hamlet” underscores its ability to resonate with diverse audiences, affirming its status as a timeless work that continually reinvents itself through new interpretations.

Conversation through Dramatic Games

Author(s): Nicoleta Florina Mincă / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

The need for conversing is always present in the teaching-learning process of EFL. Teachers must be able to help students develop their conversational competence in the target language. This dramatic game means that the participants can improvise dialogues to fit an already described situation and perform it. The teacher should design three stages: play reading, paraphrasing the play, and performing the dramatic game. To simulate real-life situations, students will begin to think in English without noticing it. They cross the bridge and speak easily. It is the teacher who will experiment, try new methods, and be fearless about having fun.

TRUTH AND REVOLUTION IN BERTOLT BRECHT’S "LIFE OF GALILEO"

Author(s): Ingrid Nistor-Sopon / Language(s): German Issue: 38/2024

The revolutionary theatre of Bertolt Brecht distinguished itself by evaluating the structurality of social systems while exploring the alienation to which the individual is subjected in a society ruined by the class struggle for supremacy. In this context, through a historicization of the events in the life of the famous inventor Galileo Galilei, the confrontation for the use of the truth to fulfill one's own interests and the responsibility that the scientist bears for the social revolution, intended to destabilize the old order and abolish the class conflict, are presented.

MIHAIL SEBASTIAN'S VISION ON THEATRE

Author(s): Maria-Nicoleta Pop / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 38/2024

Mihail Sebastian was an important playwright of the interwar period, known for his lyrical style, which emphasizes fantasy and poetry, different from the dominant realism of the time. His plays, such as the Nameless Star and the Holiday Game, address themes such as Jewish identity and anti-Semitism. In his dramaturgy, Sebastian explores the provincial space to highlight isolation and cultural limitations, contrasting the characters' desires for cosmopolitan exposure. Didascals are essential in his works, helping to create the atmosphere, character development and strengthening themes, providing a coherent and profound theatrical experience.

PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA AND IMPOSSIBLE LOVE IN HAMLET

Author(s): Emilian Tîrban / Language(s): English Issue: 38/2024

Over the centuries, “Hamlet” has been the subject of countless critical approaches from brilliant scholarly thinkers, from Samuel Johnson to Harold Bloom. The present article strives to investigate from an interdisciplinary critical perspective how Hamlet’s psyche is affected by the appearance of his father’s ghost. Drawing on sources as diverse as neo-classical, romantic, and psychoanalytical criticism, the article explores the inner changes that shift Hamlet’s perception of the nature of his Self, resulting in the instability of his relationship with other characters. The second section investigates the particularities of Hamlet’s desire concerning the women of the play to show how his malignant desire destroys familial and romantic bonds, finally leading to his traumatic influence on other characters such as Ophelia and Gertrude.

Dějiny divadla jako návrh ozdravné změny paradigmatu

Author(s): Pavel Janoušek / Language(s): Czech Issue: 5/2024

The review of the Czech translation of the publication History of Theatre — Introduction(2022) characterizes and analyses the demand for a transformation of the theatrehistoricalparadigm as proposed by Andreas Kotte. The author of the review perceivesKotte’s “introduction” as an expression of a trend shaping contemporary thinkingabout theatre, and therefore seeks to name the axiology, logic and limits of theargumentation Kotte works with, the inspirational power, but also the limitations ofthe theses he formulates. The purpose of the review is to expose, the inspiration butalso the possible weaknesses of a more general transformation of views on the socialrole of theatre, theatre production and theatre operation.