The Self-Definitions of the Hungarian Minority in Vojvodina in the Performances of the Tanyaszínház (Grange Theatre)

Abstract

The Hungarian travelling theatre company named Tanyaszínház (Grange Theater) was founded in 1978 in Yugoslavia, and it has not stopped since. In their performances, one can observe how successive political systems generated social issues that also affected minorities. These issues are not presented as historical facts but rather as everyday realities on stage. Their productions, which are given in villages and small towns, serve as prisms that directly reflect social experiences back to the community. From the history of the company’s performances, one can discern the infinitely complex narratives of self-definition for the Hungarian minority in Vojvodina (North Serbia), spanning from the late 1970s to the present day. Over the last four and a half decades, they have not only thematized the process of self-identification of the Hungarian community in the province but have also participated in it.