Drama Revue 4/2006
Summary

T. Vokáč: The Drama of Indifference
(Philosophical Assumptions of Contemporary Drama)

The study tries to reflect actual dramatic work on the base of French philosophy. There are searched the basic sources of ideas of contemporary drama intepretations in connection with philosophical approaches which reveal in the texts of Jean-Franćois Lyotard, Gilles Lipovetsky, Jean Baudrillard, Zygmunt Bauman and others. With the help of modern philosophy of 20th and 21st centuries, which is in text closely connected with drama theory and historiography, the study tries to define and precise the terms typical for contemporay “post-modern drama”, the drama of every day. For the first view very various terms create the basic, continual and complementing but not exhaustive characterizing line of contemporary dramatic writings for which there is searched the primary evidence and which is complexly named the drama of indifference.

Zdeněk Hořínek: The Notes about Improvisation

The contrast of intentionality and non-intentionality is - according to Jan Mukařovský - the basic antinomy of art. The main source of the non-intentionality in drama art is the fact that it is realized through the movement in the time. Mutual action of the characters-actors in dramatic situations on the stage creates the conditions for improvisation. The study mentions some typical issues from the history of the theatre improvisation. From Italien commedia dell’arte where the actors improvised on the base of schematic descriptions of the performance in the scenario, the way leads to the Vienna folk theatre where the improvisation was used mostly in the connection with comic persons. The improvisation was also refined tactics against the censorship. We meet improvisation also in the space where we wouldn’t look for it - in directorship of K. S. Stanislavskij whose “etudes” served as an addition of the non-pronounced ideas. (In Ingarden’s term “indeterminacy”.) In nowadays Czech studio theatres (Studio Ypsilon as pars pro toto) the improvisation during the rehearsals (continuing also during the performances) served not only as the mean for solving of the scenic situations but often the texts of the dialogues too. That’s why such practice is often called “author’s theatre” From the notes there are visible some temporary conclusions: 1) Improvisation demands readiness. 2) Its effects flow from unexpected reactions for unexpected stimulus. 3) Improvisations in totalitarian conditions becomes sophisticated defence of the free creation against the repression by various forms of censorship. 4) Improvisation is the mean of additing the places of indeterminacy in work of art. 5) The last step of improvisation in the theatre is the author’s share of the actors on the play. 6) Improvisation is never absolute. It is always based on the complicated dialectics of intentionality and non-intentionality.

M. Kořistová: From Apollonius of Tyana to The Woman and God

The first part of the study deals with Symbolist drama of Jiří Karásek of Lvovice (1871 - 1951) Apollonius from Tyana (1905). It refers to the sources and the range of inspiration, to the application of the motifs characteristic for Karásek’s work (beauty + power + youth, Christian motifs). It mentions also the other author’s dramatic attempts from that time (Burning Soul, The Dream of the Realm of Beauty) and Karásek’s vain hopes for presenting Apollonius in National Theatre. In 1910 the play was rehearsed by the group Academics from Vinohrady, the music for the show was composed by K. B. Jirák (1891 - 1972). The same composer has written the opera inspired by Karásek’s play (finished in 1913) to which the second part of the study is dedicated. The author concentrates on the scenic destiny of the work and with the use of contemporary critical issues she describes three various productions: 1928 in Provincial Theatre in Brno (inspirated by the staff of the Theatre the opera was renamed as Woman and God), 1929 in National Theatre of Slovakia in Bratislava and 1937 in National Theatre in Prague.

P. Klein: The Coming of Art Nouveau as the Source of Modern Theatre Publicity (Les Ballets Russes)

The text tries to express the specifics of Art Nouveau scenic form on the example of coproduction of Russian artists with ballet group Les Ballets Russes, founded by impresario S. P. Diagilev. The text offers the view at gradual penetration of Art Nouveau poetics into theatre art through the primary application of the premises in theatre publicity. The penetration of Art Nouveau into marketing strategy became integral addition to the development of the beginnigs of mass media communication and so to the development of modern theories connected with the phenomenon of visual communication. The specifics of theatre Art Nouveau was characterized by re-definition of the image of theatre interaction as the elementary expression of theatre art. Thanks to Art Nouveau poetics the scenic form codificated as the new variation of Gesamtkunstwerk encompassed into its artistic stylization as the phenomenon of theatre publicity as integral part of resulting interaction with the audience. To this phenomenon was payed the same attention in the Art Nouveau as all the other elements of scenic work in process.

L. Vodička - P. Janoušek: Czech Drama 1969 - 1989 (IV.)

The final part of the study of L. Vodička and P. Janoušek is dedicated to the unique genre and sub-genre lines of Czech dramatic work in the time of so called normalisation. It presents the drama of historic alegories which is probably the most presented one in the frames of official dramatic work. During the twenty years of normalisation the genre oscilated between the light conversational comedy and moralizing tragicomedy. Quite often there revealed the topic of the co-responsibility of the single man for the history, the theme of the conflict of the strong individual against the power, with the major and non-tolerant society, the topics of the temptations of the power. Distinctive line in the frames of the genre there are historical anologies by which the authors trie to characterize the totalitarian regime (the topic was often nazi occupation) where was the best known Karel Steigerwald with his work on the edge of historical tragicomedy and model play about Czech character. The study also deals with two dramatic genres which - in the time of normalization - by coincidence got the new rise of quality: monodrama and theatre dramatization or adaptation.