Drama Revue 3/2002
Summary

I. Jusová: Feminism on the Stage of National Theatre? (Acting Style of Hana Kvapilova)

This essay examines the career of the popular Czech fin-de-siecle actress Hana Kvapilová (1860-1907). Kvapilová has been celebrated by critics both as a "national actress" for her performances in Czech original plays, and as symbol of Czech fin-de-siŹcle women's emancipation, mostly owing to the roles of unconventional women she created in plays by Ibsen and in Czech modern dramas. To her contemporaires, Kvapilová appeared as the embodiment of multiple symbols. Her acting style, it was perceived, enabled her to both express the "innermost truth of the Czech national character" and simultaneously epitomize Czech women's striving for emancipation. Somewhat contrary to these views, this essay argues that the spiritual, ethereal acting style Kvapilová developed to express the "essence of Czechness" (her nationalist agenda) severely constrained the actress in the tools she would use in her stage portrayal of women's desires (her feminist agenda).

L. Šaldová: Search for Individual Theatre Shape (Anti-illusive, Anti-psychological Theatre od Ladislav Štros)

Ladislav Štros considerably took part in determination of the shape of Czech after-war style of directorship, especially in 60th-80th of 20th century as a tribal director of National Theatre. He was especially interested in original theatre shape, original solution of stage design. Characteristic role in his staging was played by scenography (he followed the style of Opera of 5th May, his main stage-designer was Vladimír Nývlt): in comedies it was especially anti-illusive space for the play, in serious plays it got the symbolist meaning. In comedies Štros acknowledges the principles of commedia dell'arte - he derives from it the open theatrality, presentation of types, anti-psychological style of acting, pantomimic stylization of the movement. He thinks over and developes many gags, he often links them up in linear way one by one, without mutual logical relations: their task is simply to entertain, without any binding to particular story and situation. In the staging of "serious" plays Štros doesn't deal with motivations and psychology of the characters and their logical, authentic story. He looks for their symbolic validity and more common philosophical topics. He is interested in particular image - symbol. He expresses the man in confrontation with the environment, the society around him or with the destiny, with the death. In his artistic images the unchanging people enter precisly evoked atmosphere of the place, they sometimes function as the artistic element of picturesque images. Štros leads the actors to the precise relation of the movement to the music - the stage substantially illustrates the character of music. This movement (music) stylization doesn't bear the meanings, it only gives order to the act on stage. The inspiration to particular artistic solution and particular actions, that is to the matter from which we can deduce the Štros's interpretations, are not of musical kind. Štros projects his own experience of literature, of life, of his momental philosophical direction to his works. And he gives account not only about his work, but in the same line about himself and about his point of view about the life.

P. Janoušek: Dramatic Attempts Broken away from the Contact with Czech Theatre (1948-1959)

The essay is an element of the chapter Drama 1948-1958 from the book The History of Czech literature 1945-1990 which is in preparation in Institute for Czech literature. It is dedicated to few dramatic attempts which originated in the first after-February era in Czech inner and abroad exile, in spite of the fact that it is kind of literature which is - against the prose, poetry and critical activity - existencially connected with life theatre business. Of course that was very hard for the form of communication which was entirely closed for the authors refusing to admit the taking part in literal and theatre life under the direction of communist cultural politics and those living in exile. First part of essay deals with hand-written surrealistic drama of Karel Hynek and Vratislav Effenberger and with the drama works which were written by Zdeněk Kalista in prison. The second part recapitulates especially exile drama work of František Kovárna, Zdeněk Němeček, Milada Součkova and Jaroslav Strnad (including his texts for Radio Free Europe).

L. Jungmannova: Time and Mask in The End of Shrovetide

The essay deals with conception of structure and meaning in time-space continuum in Topol's play The End of Shrovetide. The work follows chronological definition and the changes in chronology and process of both levels of the work ("realistic" and "methaphorical") and from the point of view of expression of time it considers their mutual difference and contrast and also their mutual complementarisation and dissolvation.
Through the temporalist examining the texts deal also with the comparison of topical projections of the phenomena of time and mask.