Drama Revue 1/2007
Summary

J. Patočková: Krejča’s Czech Chekhov - Nineteen Sixties

The productions of the plays written by A. P. Chekhov have special position in the theatre biography of director Otomar Krejča. He presented six of his plays in twenty-one productions both at home and abroad. The first one was The Seagull in National Theatre in Prague (1960), the production which is taken for one of the first attempts for a new scenic interpretation of Chekhov’s work standing against the staging tradition of Moscow Art Theatre not only in Czech but also in the European context. The study follows the developement of Krejča’s “private reading” of Chekhov in 60-ies. In the productions of The Seagull (National Theatre Prague 1960, Bruxelles 1966 and Stockholm 1969) and The Three Sisters (Divadlo za branou, Prague 1966) Krejča - in co-operation with scenographer Josef Svoboda - succeeded in radical turn of the view at Chekhov-playwright, at first visibly by the concept of directorship connected with scenography which theatralized the space of the plays. In the same time he aimed to the theatralization of the action of characters. The core of the rhytmic organization of the stage movement was based on the strong tension in the relations among the characters and their dynamic changes. The movement didn’t imitate the life probability, didn’t illustrate the dialogue but was its counterpoint. This movement which was by the critics characterized as the paradox of “the immobility expressed by the movement”, impersonated the actual “immobility” of the characters as if spellbound in false selections, wrong orientation and solution, and at the same time it expressed the theme of the loose, fading-out of the present time of the lives. The anguish of the characters didn’t express itself by their lyrical nostalgy but dramatically active attempt to escape the “demons” of banality but again and again they fall to the vicious circle of infertile illusions, false solutions, the memories of the past and projections to the future. Krejča’s reading of Chekhov’s plays by this existencial interpretation vizualized and theatralized also the time of his plays. This interpretation was revealing and concretizing on the stage latently conflict elements, reached the complete feeling of strong dramatic effect which was taken as exaggeratedly hard by some critics. In the same time the characterization of the persons stayed non-reducated and non-deformed, his view at them was merciless material but understanding and so it led the actors to take the dramatical fight of Chekhov’s heroes seriously and personally. Krejča’s stagings of Chekhov present the principal contribution to the stage image of this author which was formed in European theatre in the 60-ies of 20th century.

I. Pfaff: The Fight for German Theatre in Czech Countries 1934 - 1938

The study based on archive and press sources follows the process of Nazi restrictions of German democratic theatre in Czechoslovakia in 1934 - 1938. It was realized in German theatres in Prague, in Brno and in the Sudeten by separatist and subversive Sudetendeutsche Partei. The worst conditions were in Cheb, the theatres in Brno, Most and Liberec maintained the longest time. There was scandalized by the members of Henlein party the Jewish director Paul Barnay who emigrated from the Reich, the theatre expert well-known in all the world. (October 1936 - March 1938). This campaign was put in the epillory from emigration by Thomas Mann, there was big manifestation of progressive Czech cultural personalities in Prague which had a great response in Paris and London. Till the summer 1938 all the German theatres in ČSR were in the hands of Nazi powers in the country. This group was realizing the fascistization of German theatre in the state as one of the main means of mass infiltration of Nazi ideology into the mentality of the majority of Sudet Germans and their psychological preparation for treasonous activity.

M. Jacková: The Laughing Bats (Comic Elements in Jezuit School Plays)

The authors of Jezuit poetics usually characterize the comedies as the contradiciton of tragedy which was according the period measures defined by the presence of noble characters, the story concerning the public life and noble matters, the high style and sad end. For the comedy the basis was on only the joyful, humorous story and happy end but also the fact it depicts the normal, everyday life and there are presented persons which are not noble and speak colloquial speech. While in some provinces (e.g. Poland) the comedies on the stages of Jezuit schools were quite sucessful, we can’t find any comedy among the preserved texts in Czech province. On the other side the majority of these plays are typical by mix of tragical and comical elements. The favorite ones were the scenes from school life, the characters of lazy servants and robbers. Humorous scenes or comical moments we can find even in alegorical Easter texts where they can touch even the character of Love- Christ. The only known Jezuit comedy today which originated on the area of Czech Province represents one of the three lines of festive play Saeculum coronatum presented in Olomouc in 1724. Its hero is braggart soldier Ramogeta who makes the expedition for Olymp to receive the crown for his war gains.

V. Just: Faustian Obsession and Self-staging of Josef Váchal

From the beginning of his creative work as the visual artist and writer Josef Váchal consciously stylized into “Faustian” position. Various substantive or adjective forms of the word “devil” (Satanas, demon etc.) occur in the titles and sub-titles and also in the topics and motifs of the majority of his books. Quite easily we can demonstrate also visibly high frequency of infernal terms and methaphors in his lectures, diaries, letters etc. Váchal from his youth consciously stylized (self-stylized) himself into the position of the wizard, black magician and devil-raiser - and he had taken his earthly existence as the re-incarnation of middle-age or renaissance magician. He didn’t hesitate repeatedly even obsessionaly use the blasphemously metaphors of spells, chanting, bans and evoking of inpure powers - in evaluation of contemporary political events (the progress of Nazism, World War II, coming of communism). His second published book was typical Faustus story (Very nice reading about clair-voyant Lawrence as his soul was taken by the cruel devil and he went to the bad end, 1910). In 1924 he finished cycle Goethe’s Faust with 127 colour pictures which is lost today. He was returning to the Faustus in his ideas again and again but he didn’t realized it. In spite of this we can state that he played with Faustus myth all his life. In the second part of his life he voluntarily prefered against the deterioration of his soul the inner emigration and de facto existencial non-existence in remote Studeňany.