Martyr plot and the national founding myth: staging Croatian national identity through amateur performances of a medieval genre

Abstract

ABSTRACT The staging of the Play of the Life and Death of Saint Lawrence, the Martyr, by an amateur theatre group the Hvar Popular Theatre, holds a special place in Croatian theatre history for its longevity, and the position on the margins of the mainstream culture, appearing mostly in low-scale theatrical events. However, its marginal position began to change in the 2010s, with performances at high-profile events, and followed by increased media coverage. This paper examines the curious trajectory in the reception and status of this performance in the social and political context. Through my analysis I demonstrate that the genre of saints' plays gained a potential to stand in for the nation already in time of Croatian pre-independence history. However, it was thanks to the broader social and political shifts initiated by the neoconservative turn which began to shape Croatian political field since 2010, that this particular amateur production achieved the status of the national performance.