Drama Revue 1/2002
Summary

L. Klosová: Neruda vs. Meininger Company

The greatest Czech theatre critic of the second half of 19th century, Jan Neruda who was alway trying to open Czech theatre to the modern movement abroad, suprisingly refused the staging practice of well-known Royal Meiningen Theatre. Although in Neruda's theatre esthetics some demands of realistic theatre step by step asserted, especially in his theory there were still some residues of romantism: the leading representative should be actor playing main role who directed by his subjective opinion and expression set the conception of all performance. That's why it was inacceptable for Neruda the constitution of directorship as an equal scenic element. Neruda interested mostly in verbal and speech component of the actor's performance, appreciated individualized extras, authentic scenary and work with lighting only as supporting not equal elements of performance.
From the encounter of two historically well-founded theatre opinions the Meininger came out winning in the first stage with their realistic and naturalistic performances which influenced European theatre at least for twenty years. From the second half of the nineties of 19th century the young theatre artists defended against plain description and they were returning to the poetical way of working out the word, individualisation of persons by the speech, intonation and rhythm, to the principle of token scene (symbolism, psychologism, impressionism etc.), that means also to some of Neruda's principles.

V. Velemanová: Marching Thalia (Theatre Activities of Legionnaires in Russia)

Summarising article about cultural, especially theatre activity of Czechoslovak legionnaires in Russia in 1914-1920. It describes not only the action in well-known legionnaire companies (The First Czech Royal Theatre in Borispol, Theatre of Cz. Army in Russia, Travelling Theatre od Czech Army in Russia...) but also at least generally artistic work in some of less-known theatres in regiments. The study also deals with some questions connected with legionnaire "theatre architecture" built especially in Siberia in the final phase of anabasis and the question od repertoire which was very big problem for legionnaires in these conditions. In the end of the study the author mentions also some art response of Russian anabasis in the time of so called 1st Republic - particularly numerous plays which originated in that time. The author issues not only from the nowadays and historical literature, but also from the newspapers of that time, archive materials of various institutions (Military Central Archive, Historical Institute of Czech Academy, Literal Archive PNP and some regional archives) and private archives.

M. Dreier: Adolphe Appia - Theatre Reformer (1862-1928)

Genovian theorist of the staging and set designer A. Appia had studied music. After the unsatisfactory experience of primitive staging of Wagner's Parsifal in 1882 in Bayreuth he decided to dedicate his life to the reform of staging practice especially of Wagner's work. In 1899 there was published in German his most fundamental book Die Musik und die Inszenierung (in French in 1963). In this book he indicates music as the hierarchic leading part of staging realisation of the work. Against the two-dimensional, in illusionist way painted scenary in flat diffuse lighting he settled the space, freely filled by abstract plastic elements, where the actors are moving among them and on them according to the music stream being lighted in differentiated way from many sources. The theatre artist designates only the basic colour of the elements. Appia could realised his ideas in practice only after 1903 especially with E. Jacques-Dalcroze (Espaces rythmiques, 1909). They were fully applied as late as in half of the 20th century.

P. Klein: The Beginnings of Russian Modern Scenography and Symbolist Theatre

Scenographic experiments of S. Y. Sudeykin (1882-1946) and N. N. Sapunov (1880-1912) belong inseparably to the beginnings of the forming of Russian modern theatre. The article tries to elucidate the cooperation of these artists at the preparation of the first symbolist plays, and in the same time to characterize the specific contribution of the plastic arts element in the relation to the newly forming modernist principles of staging (Stanislavskij, Meyerchold). The main attention is dedicated to the comparison of stage image of the older symbolist texts (Balmont, Brjusov) and the production of young symbolist (in Russian surroundings especially A. Blok and the parallels with French model Maeterlinck). Part of the study is also picture supplement containing photographs and stage designs which were not published till now in our country. They bring more information about the problematics of visual image of Russian symbolist production which present in this sense the most important turning point in the developement of the movement and in the same time very effectively demonstrates one of the crucial stages of the history of modern scenography of 20th century.

M. Ljubková: About Genesis of Play Maryša by Brothers Mrštíks

The study deals with the problematics of genesis of the dramatic text of Maryša written by brothers Mrštíks. In the beginning chapters we can meet the predecessor of the dramatic form - the original finished story and the work on draft for the novel. After it sums up the situation of Maryša before the premiŹre and it suggests how Maryša settled down in Czech (not only) theatre context. The last part of the basic introduction describes the legends which are connected with the origin of this dramatic text.
The core of the text is formed by detailed analysis of all versions-in-process and separate fragments which were preserved in the files of Moravian Provincial Museum in Brno and in the Literary Archive of the Trust for National Writing in Prague. The text doesn't try to reconstruct the original text but it suggests how it could be possibly being worked out and it compares the versions in process with the definitive one. In the same time it tries to indicate in what sense the revisions of individual versions passed off on the level of the story and motifs.