Theatre and Performance in Eastern Europe The Changing Scene

by Barnett, Dennis; Skelton, Arthur; Beck, Dennis C.; Boborykina, Tatiana; Cohen, Robert; Duncan, Jane; Goatley, Cynthia; Ignatieva, Maria; Justice-Malloy, Rhona; Lukan, Bla?; Márton, András; Milin, Bosko; Milo?evic, Dijana; Návratová, Jana; Nikcevic, Sanja;

• ISBN13: 9780810860230
• ISBN10: 0810860236
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-12-14
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Summary

The fall of communism throughout Eastern Europe brought about major socio-political changes towards the end of the 20th century. Dennis Barnett and Arthur Skelton explore the effects these changes had on theatre and performance in Russia, the former Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and the former Yugoslavia, while drawing clear parallels with theatre globally. This fascinating collection of articles describes the various factors contributing to the changes in theatrical performance, including the important move from government control to a capitalist, market-driven environment. The idea of art as business and a consumer product vs. art as a social prerogative or means for national dialogue is a common thread throughout the articles, many of which also look at the role of censorship during the communist era. This collection includes updated reports on vital cultural institutions such as the Moscow Art Theatre, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Sarajevo International Theatre Festival (MESS), and the Hungarian National Theatre Festival at Pécs. Also, a number of important theatre practitioners, directors, and playwrights, such as Boris Eifman, Du?an Kovacevic, Slobodan ?najder, Arpad Goncz, and Yordan Radichkov, are introduced to the Western reader. Organized according to country, the book presents both an inclusive and general overview of the subject'¬ ;as well as specific in-depth examinations of the situations in each country'¬ ;and includes a broad variety of perspectives: from native scholars to outside researchers, from personal memoirs to academic inquiries. The volume concludes with a bibliography, an index, and five informative appendixes listing works of some of the artists and companies discussed.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Russia
Power as Nostalgia: The Bolshoi Ballet in the New Russia	p. 3
A Little Orchestra of Hope: Sergei Artsybashev	p. 13
Boris Eifman's Theatre Enigma	p. 23
Oleg Tabakov at the Moscow Art Theatre: An Interview with Alexander Popov	p. 31
Poland
Looking for Politics in All the Wrong Places: Teatr Wybrzee's Educational Theatre Wybrazeak	p. 39
Bulgaria
Yordan Radichkov's Trying to Fly Against Aesthetic and Political Canons	p. 49
Post-Totalitarian Bulgarian Theatre and Drama: Experimenters and Literary Cinderellas	p. 69
Romania
The (R)evolution of Romanian Theatre	p. 85
Former Czechoslovakia
The Devil and Brezhnev's Eyebrows: Czech "Anti-fascist" Theater after the Warsaw Pact Invasion	p. 97
Exiling Time: Czech Theatre's Post-Communist Struggle to Reconcile Legacies with Change	p. 107
Nostalgia and Technology	p. 123
Hungary
Truth, Reality, and Illusion: Arpad Goncz and Hungarian Medea	p. 131
Theatre in Hungary from Past to Pecs, 1984-2004	p. 139
Former Yugoslavia
Tales from the Wild East	p. 147
Old New Times: A Search for a Cultural Identity in the Countries of the Former Yugoslavia	p. 157
Body in Context: Slovene Theatre at the End of the Transition	p. 169
Croatian Theatre and the War 1992-1994	p. 181
Making a "MESS" Out of Misery: The Sarajevo International Theatre Festival Ten Years After	p. 191
From the Myth of Artistic Independence to the Myth of Artistic Engagement	p. 201
Between Engagement and Escapism	p. 211
Laughing Through the Changes: The Palliative Theatre of Dusan Kovacevic	p. 221
The Role of the Artist in the Dark Times	p. 231
Selected Works of Boris Eifman	p. 235
Playwrights of the Post-Communist Czech Republic	p. 237
Sarajevo International Theatre Festival	p. 241
The Plays of Dusan Kovacevic	p. 247
DAH Theatre Performances	p. 249
Bibliography	p. 251
About the Editors and Contributors	p. 261
Index	p. 267
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