Divadelní revue (Czech Theatre Review) 2018 · no 3
vol. 29 · February 2019 · no 3Summary
The third issue of 2018s Theatre Review brings forward three essays. In their joint study “The birth of Evald Schorm's Era (Theatre on the Balustrade, 1975–1978)”, Martin J. Švejda and Věra Velemanová focus on the history of Theatre on the Balustrade between 1975–1978, when Jaroslav Chundela was an artistic director of the theatre. The first part describes Chundela's directorship in the Ústí nad Labem Drama Studio, which preceded his headship at the Theatre on the Balustrade. The second part discusses several phases of Chundela's era, and examines productions, the transformation of poetics and the personal composition of ensemble. In conclusion, the essay observes some extra-artistic aspects connected with the operation of theatre in the context of cultural and social events of that time. The study is accompanied with the supplement “Who is Václav Havel”, which is the transcription of a short sequence from the debate about Václav Havel broadcasted by the Czechoslovakian Television in 1977 as part of a campaign against the Charter 77. Alena Sarkissian's essay “Icon in motion. To Symeon's Critique of Religious Theatre” analyses Symeon of Thessaloniki's “Dialogue against Heresies” that reflects the crisis in the intercourse of the Christian culture of the East with the culture of the Christian West in the 14th century. Symeon discusses here the Western Religious Theater, while in the East theatre never flourished, being constantly under criticism. Symeon continues in the argument he learned from the texts of church fathers and canonical decrees. He elaborates on the notion of “fake” and “genuine” mimesis, as well as on the arguments expressed by fathers who opposed the iconoclastic movement. Symeon adds other theological arguments that particularly defended the sacred images. He demonstrates the heretical nature of religious theater in the West that opposes God's creative work. At the same time, he defends the practice of the liturgical scene of the Service of the Furnace in which, according to him, the performers do not long for a hypostatic resemblance, but rather for the symbolic depiction that would stimulate the believer to contemplate the image. The study is supplemented with Alena Sarkissian's translation of Symeon's “Dialogue”. Radvan Markus' “The White Scourge and The Good Soldier Švejk: Czech Literature in Irish-Language Productions”discusses two Irish-language productions based on Czech literary texts – the staging of Karel Čapek's The White Scourge (1941) and the radio adaptation of Jaroslav Hašek's The Good Soldier Švejk (1986). The section on Čapek's play gives an overview of the situation of drama within Irish-language literature and comments upon the specific circumstances of the Galway theatre Taibhdhearc, in which the play was produced. The production was especially significant in the context of Irish neutrality during the Second World War. Hašek's novel was adapted for the radio by the writer and journalist Breandán Ó hEithir, who was intent on promoting Central European culture in Ireland. The relevant section of the article focuses mainly on his translation strategy in which he strove to bring Hašek's text close to the Rabelaisian, comic strand in Irish literature. The issue contains an interview with the theatre historian, reviewer and pedagogue Margita Havlíčková, as well as three reviews of recently published books. In the section “reports” we publish Pavel Drábek's thorough assessment of the national conference Perspectives of Theatre Studies, which took place in May, 2018 at the Palacký University, Olomouc.
analyses & documents
Martin J. Švejda & Věra VelemanováThe birth of Evald Schorm's Era (Theatre on the Balustrade, 1975–1978) [peer-reviewed article]
Supplement
Who is Václav Havel? Czechoslovakian Television, 1977 (a transcript of the sequence from the Theatre on the Balustrade, 7:26–10:41) [document]
Alena Sarkissian
Icon in motion: To Symeon's Critique of Religious Theatre [peer-reviewed article]
Symeon of Thessaloniki
Dialogue against Heresies [document]
Radvan Markus
The White Scourge and The Good Soldier Švejk: Czech Literature in Irish-Language Productions [peer-reviewed article]
interview
with the theatre historian, reviewer and pedagogue Margita Havlíčková "We all have life ahead of us" Andrea Jochmanová and David Drozdreviews
Denisa ValterováWagner contra Nietzsche
(Karol Berger: Beyond Reason: Wagner contra Nietzsche) [review]
Anna Cvrčková & Lenka Chaloupková
A Teardrop of Inspiration? (Denisa Vostrá: Předpoklady japonské scéničnosti. Motokijo Zeami: Poučení hercům) [review]
Klára Kudlová
Hans‑Thies Lehmann's “postdramatic theatre” as a conceptual approach of the monograph Horizons of European Drama (Horizonty evropského dramatu. Současný divadelní text mezi dramatickými a postdramatickými tendencemi. Eds. Zuzana Augustová, Jan Jiřík, Daniela Jobertová)
reports
Pavel DrábekPerspectives of Theatre Studies 2018 (report on the national conference of Theatre Studies, Palacký University, Olomouc) [report]
new book releases (October–December 2018)
Resumes of peer-reviewed articles
Martin J. Švejda & Věra VelemanováThe Birth of Evald Schorm's Era (Theatre on the Balustrade, 1975–1978)
The study focuses on the history of Theatre on the Balustrade between 1975–1978, when Jaroslav Chundela was an artistic director of the theatre. The first part describes Chundela's directorship in the Ústí nad Labem Drama Studio, which preceded his headship at the Theatre on the Balustrade. The second part discusses several phases of Chundela's era, and examines productions, the transformation of poetics and the personal composition of ensemble. In conclusion, the essay observes some extra-artistic aspects connected with the operation of theatre in the context of cultural and social events of that time.
Contact: Martin J. Švejda | Czech Theatre Studies Department, Arts and Theatre Institute, Czech Republic | martin.svejda[at]idu.cz
Contact: Věra Velemanová | Czech Theatre Studies Department, Arts and Theatre Institute, Czech Republic | vera.velemanova[at]idu.cz
Alena Sarkissian
Icon in Motion. To Symeon's Critique of Religious Theatre.
Chapter 23 of Symeon of Thessaloniki's “Dialogue against Heresies” stems from the crisis in the intercourse of the Christian culture of the East with the culture of the Christian West in the 14th century. Symeon discusses here the Western Religious Theater, while in the East theatre never flourished, being constantly under criticism. Symeon continues in the argument he learned from the texts of church fathers and canonical decrees. He elaborates on the notion of “fake” and “genuine” mimesis, as well as on the arguments expressed by fathers who opposed the iconoclastic movement. Symeon adds other theological arguments that particularly defended the sacred images. He demonstrates the heretical nature of religious theater in the West that opposes God's creative work. At the same time, he defends the practice of the liturgical scene of the Service of the Furnace in which, according to him, the performers do not long for a hypostatic resemblance, but rather for the symbolic depiction that would stimulate the believer to contemplate the image.
Contact: Alena Sarkissian | Centre for Classical Studies at the Institute of Philosophy, CAS, Czech Republic | sarkissian[at]ics.cas.cz
Radvan Markus
The White Scourge and The Good Soldier Švejk: Czech Literature in Irish-Language Productions.
The article discusses two Irish-language productions based on Czech literary texts – the staging of Karel Čapek's The White Scourge (1941) and the radio adaptation of Jaroslav Hašek's The Good Soldier Švejk (1986). The section on Čapek's play gives an overview of the situation of drama within Irish-language literature and comments upon the specific circumstances of the Galway theatre Taibhdhearc, in which the play was produced. The production was especially significant in the context of Irish neutrality during the Second World War. Hašek’s novel was adapted for the radio by the writer and journalist Breandán Ó hEithir, who was intent on promoting Central European culture in Ireland. The relevant section of the article focuses mainly on his translation strategy in which he strove to bring Hašek's text close to the Rabelaisian, comic strand in Irish literature.
Contact: Radvan Markus | Departement of Anglophone Literature & Cultures, Faculty of Arts, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic | radvan.markus[at]ff.cuni.cz