ОСОБЛИВОСТІ РОЗВИТКУ АМАТОРСЬКОГО ТЕАТРАЛЬНОГО РУХУ В СХІДНІЙ ГАЛИЧИНІ НАПРИКІНЦІ ХІХ – ПОЧАТКУ ХХ СТ.

Abstract

The article considers the peculiarities of the development of the amateur theatre movement in Eastern Galicia at the turn of the XIX – XX centuries and it is proved that the amateur movement contributed to the coverage of ethno-national peculiarities of the Ukrainian people as well as its language, traits of national character, worldview and, most importantly, national identity. It is shown that the secular culture in Western Ukraine intensified in the middle of the 19th century, which was the time of awakening of the national and social consciousness of the Ukrainian people. It states that the educational work conducted by the professional theater society “Ruska Besida” turned into new views of professional theater art of Galicia over time, whose activity was aimed at the formation and realization of the national personality, its spiritual potential, as well as humanization of the social relations.A distinctive phenomenon in the cultural and national life of Ukrainian Galicians in the early twentieth century was the creation of the Hutsul National Theatre. Theatrical activity of amateur dramatists became a driving factor in the national and cultural education of the local population in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Amateur groups were organized under the auspices of the Ruska Besida Society, which were distributed in cities and towns of Eastern Galicia. They produced plays by both Ukrainian-language authors (I. Kotlyarevskiy, H. Tsehlinskiy) and foreign (M. Gorky, Moliere). The main function of amateur groups was to educate the broad sections of Ukrainians in the region, their national upbringing by means of theatrical art through the formation of linguistic culture, respect for national customs and traditions.The most extensive cultural and educational network in Eastern Galicia was Prosvita Society, which had branches and reading rooms in the most remote corners of the region. The activities of the amateur circles in the Prosvita centers focused mainly on the production of plays by Ukrainian authors – those were dramatic works, comedies and vaudevilles. In the history of Ukrainian theater amateur theatre troupes and playgroups played an important role, as they spread Ukrainian culture, conducted educational activities, contributed to raising the national consciousness of the Ukrainian people. The theater became a real stronghold of folk revival, pure folk language sounded from its stage; the plays themselves attracted audiences by colorful, bright national music raising educational awareness.