Drama Revue 4/2005
Summary

J. M. Burian: The Adventures of Voskovec and Werich in America, 1939-1945

Jarka Burian describes the last non-charted era of artistic life of legendary duo V+W in his study: their stay in emigration in America in 1939 - 1945. Thanks to their antimilitarian and antifascist orientated musical revues Voskovec and Werich (and their fellow composer Jaroslav Ježek) had to leave Czechoslovakia in the end of 1938. They wanted to go on in their theatre and author's work not only for the fellow-coutrymen audience, but also for real American one. The substantial part of Burian's study is dedicated to the less known stage of their emigration: performances for fellow-countrymen organizations in New York, Baltimore, Chicago and Cleveland and introducing of their plays Heavy Barbara and Ass and Shadow in Cleveland Playhouse. In the extracts from the newspapers of that time Burian certifies the artistic achievement of these events but in the same time he points out not very relevant (or changeable) interest of the audience. As all the countless attempts to enter Hollywood were in vain, the main source of finance for V+W (with a few presents from Czech emigrant fans) became the work for agitprop BBC of War Information broadcast. Burian describes also the well-known "Hollywood episode", successful performance in Hollywood and following "camera test" led by Orson Welles - which, because of Welles's conflicts with the Studio, had no results. There is mentioned also the line of unsucessful castings (e.g. Werich in Kazan's world premiere of the play Jacobowski and Colonel). The study is closed by the description of their final achievement: V + W were cast as Trinculo and Stephano in Broadway show of Shakespeare's The Tempest (director M. Webster, production C. Crawford) in 1945.

Z. Hořínek: Hope and Despair or Negative Transcendence

The study follows the polarity of hope and despair in the work of Samuel Beckett. It finds the connection between the Fate ("ananké") in Antiquity tragedies and Absurd deal. Depressive psychical stages as described in Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross (the feeling of aridity, misery, disability, idleness, uselessness, despair, spiritual death, blasphemy) remarkably correspond not only with the characteristic topics and motifs of Beckett's plays but also with theoretical generalization of absurd deal in the Albert Camus' book of essays The Myth of Sisyphus (frustration of mechanical life which lost its sense by the constant repetition, the feeling of banishment, rupture between the man and the world, the loss of metaphysical and ethical certainties). Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross led up from negativity (from disbelief and tempting) to positivity - to deliverance of all which is not God. In Beckett's works the developement goes converse direction: from the hint of unsure, doubtful positivity to repeatedly attested negativity. The scent of hope gradually evaporates and the open play where it was possible at least to wait in the process based on the dialectics of the hope and frustration (Waiting for Godot) is changed for the final play (Endgame) where the human activity loses any sense and draws to immobility in the burdensome climate of absurdity. The glimmer of transcendence still survives, but it is the negative transcendence.

A. Sarkissian: Two Eulogies of Pantomime: Lucianus - Libanius

The theatre of imperial Rome was liberated from its relation with the cult and state as well as from its close relation with verbal expression, too, as the result of vivid migration of inhabitants, who did not always understand Latin well, among different regions of the state. Theatre, especially pantomime, became popular in all parts of the Empire. Unlike the theatre of the republic, it was the experience of the individuals. Only now, can we call it a piece of art, entertainment and aesthetic pleasure. It entered everyday life, non-theatrical spaces and also intellectual discussions and controversies on its moral malignity or expedience and these topics soon moved to the area of literature. In the western part of the Empire, negative evaluation of theatre prevailed, expressed most sharply by Christian authors (Tertullianus, Novatianus and the rather sober Augustinus). In the East, the spectrum of opinions varied far more, as well among non-Christians, as among Christians: Aelius Aristides rejects pantomime (speech Against Dancers, 2nd half of 2nd cent. AD), while Lucianus defends it, stressing aesthetic qualities of pantomime, cultivating the aesthetic taste and the intellect of spectators (speech On Dance, 2nd half of 2nd cent. AD). The treatise was written to be read in the society of Roman salons, the tone is light and witted, with a plenty of bon mots to be appreciated. Libanius, two hundred years later, was inspired by this text in the Oratio LXIV (it is obvious from the structure), but the purpose and adressees of his speech are different. Ethic problems, not really important in Lucian's treatise, became the main issue here. Libanius, a non-Christian in the society of early Christian period, strove to defend the merits of the fading world of ancient Greece. The virtues appreciated the most by the new society are pointed out and Christian superstitions and prejudices concerning theatre are refused. Libanius stresses ethical contribution of theatre instead of its aesthetical qualities, and is talking about theatre as the means of ethical improvement of a man.

J. Svoboda: Steinerian Theatre

The study is dedicated to Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, his ideas connected with dramatic work and his philosophical outlook. The concept Sprachgestaltung and eurythmy are analysed. The central part of the work deals with the performance of Goethe's Faust in Goethean in Switzerland. Some space is dedicated to exploring of connections of Michail Chekhov's and Rudolf Steiner's ideas. In the conclusion the author figures out the situation and possibilities of nowadays Steinerian theatre.

K. Dolenská: Husák Unknown (Era of František Husák in Southern Bohemia in 1974 - 1979)

Five years' long activity of the actor František Husák out of professional drama theatre was very various. Although he supposed he would avoid the totalitarian pressure ("normalization") this way, it showed vice versa. With his wife Věra Boudníková he was under the constant control and his private theatre and semi-theatre activities he had to balance by taking part in tendentious agit-prop shows. Husák devised his own conception of the children's theatre the base of which was his own experience from his pedagogical and theatre practice. The childish viewers were taken to participate in the play as equivalent partner, they were given various tasks during the performance and so they were changing from the viewers into the co-creators of the performance. By his - unappreciated - pedagogical work with children and especially with the group of Roman children Proforos in Český Krumlov Husák was helping to integrate the Roman community into major society. Also Husák's and Boudníková's evenings of poetry in wine-cellar Konvice and in their home too were very significant. Those un-official cultural events (quite near to the idea of Flat Theatre) gathered together Krumlov's intelligentsia and helped to distiribution of the literary works which were banned by regime. But after the year it was already disposed by G-Men. During his engagement in puppet Small Theatre Husák was able to agglutinate the ensemble and became the main person in the team. As the theatre had no visible conception of dramaturgy and distinct director's personality, he tried to take part also in profilation of the repertoir and directed it to the reflection of the state of those days society, not only in the cycle of poetry evenings, but also in current shows in repertory (e.g. in his own show Buryga). Alas, his engagement was too short to be able to make visible artistical shift of the poetics of the ensemble and the success of the fairy-tale Goldenhair was not repeated.