Metateātris un tā izpausmes kultūras krīzes laikā

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse productions that have theatre as the object of their examination and reflection and which thus fit into the metatheatre paradigm. The research focuses on the theatre practices in Latvia and Lithuania during the last two years, when the socio-political situation has been affected by the global pandemic and, since February 2022, by the war in Ukraine. The geopolitical situation has had a devastating impact on the cultural and creative sectors, according to both research and surveys of theatre practitioners. One of the most pronounced trends during this period is the self-reflection of the theatre. The article includes both works whose literary source material reflects on theatre as a kind of microcosm (“More about life. Theatre”, “A performance that meets butter”, “Dubliners on Miera Street”, “Smiļģis”), as well as productions where the manifestations of metatheatre can be observed not in the verbal text, but in the details of staging or acting, also in the genre, and the way of staging (“for a better world”, “Othello”). A semiotic approach is used for the analysis of performances, which allows studying both the formal structure and content of the performance. There are various theories about metateatrality. The most radical is a view included in Richard Hornby’s research “Drama, Metadrama, and Perception” (1986) that drama always has metatheatrality because any drama is a part of a broader culture that cannot be seen in isolation because theatre uses the codes of that culture. Respecting Hornby’s opinion, the study analyses the current productions of theatres in a narrower sense – the central object of viewing and reflection of the production is the theatre itself, or the production includes allusions to life that resemble a theatre. In order to determine whether the current events of the time are reflected in the message of the production to the audience, attention is also paid to the socio-political situation, which showed signs of a cultural crisis during the period under research. The research concludes that different postulates of metatheatre theory can be identified in Latvian and Lithuanian theatre practice. However, the self-reflection of theatre does not exclude the influence of real life on the concept of directing and the perception of the production. Consequently, the intended message can take on a more contradictory tone or even become an allegory for the existing reality. Metatheatrality as a dramaturgical or directorial tool also makes sense in relation to the genre of the production. Metatheatre is a way of presenting art as a medium for human communication.