National Theatre Research Articles

Directing change? Reflections on participatory programmes and inclusive theatres cultures

ABSTRACT Participatory programmes in theatres typically aim to amplify the voice of people less commonly involved in ‘mainstream' theatre. Past scholarship has evaluated their impact on participants but paid less attention to the reciprocal impact on the internal culture and ‘diversity climate' of theatres. Drawing on exploratory research at two leading UK theatre companies, the National Theatre and the Young Vic, we reflect first on what this tells us about the relationship between participatory programmes and the institution’s diversity climate, and second on what this might tell us about efforts to become diverse and inclusive more generally.

Neuro-Aesthetics – Representing the Mind on Stage

This article analyses the challenges of representing the mind on stage, through stage design and acting techniques. To address this particular difficulty, we used our practice as research at Craiova National Theatre in 2019, with the play Under (re)Construction, written by Marco Tesei, and also various examples in both theatre literature and theatre practice, focusing on relevant renditions of the mind on stage in modern theatre. Our conclusions highlight the difficulties, from a director’s point of view, of making the audience understand that a specific section of a play takes part in a character’s mind. Moreover, the study shows that representing the mind on stage equally poses problems to the team of artists involved in the creation of the show.

Lonely Lives – A Living Theatrical Metaphor

This article overviews Hauptmann’s naturalist dramaturgy with an emphasis on the play Lonely Lives and references to a recent staging by the National Theater of Iași. Thus, we aim to reveal the loneliness of the characters (ordinary temperaments with common destinies, unlike those in other plays) on a vivid metaphorical level, given by faith and the lack of it, respectively.

Perkembangan Istana Budaya Sebagai Sebuah Panggung Negara di Malaysia (1999–2019)

Since the establishment of Istana Budaya (IB) in 1999 as the national theatre house of Malaysia, its function has changed from a production house to a receiving house. Up to 2019, IB had been administered by six different ministries and led by five different directors. Both these changes have influenced the type of performance and production mode at IB as a world class performing arts centre. In the field of theatre management, this article studies IB under the sub-field of management of a performing arts institution. This article focuses on the reason for a performing arts institution to change its function and how this change has influenced its’ operation as a national theatre. Thus, this article aims to answer the question “How does the changes of ministry and the leadership of IB influence its production mode as the national theatre?”. Data for this study were obtained by employing the historical approach and oral history method. The data were obtained from books, journals, theses, annual reports, meetings’ minutes and policy papers. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with some of the former directors and senior officers of the national theatre. Two major findings that were obtained from this study are the function of the national theatre transformed in accordance with the ministry that led the organisation. Visionary and adept leaders ensured its operation and productivity achieved the national theatre’s vision and mission. For the past two decades, the ministry responsible for the national theatre and its leadership had influenced its operation mode and productivity as the national performing arts institution of Malaysia.

The Beginnings of Stage Directing in the Romanian Theatre. A Historical View

Lacking a consolidated tradition in the art of stage acting and directing, the Romanian national theatres, which had only existed for a few decades, faced a series of legislative, administrative and aesthetic reforms at the beginning of the 20th century. These reforms aimed to acclimatize the most important novelties of modern performance, just emerging on Western stages. Such changes strongly impacted the conservative world of declamation and rhetoric, still indebted to the Romanticist school of theatrical interpretation. This paper aims to provide a cultural-historical perspective on the generational and artistic conflict that led to the modernization of the Romanian mise-en-scène and to the consolidation of the director’s status, in the “century of directing”, focusing on Alexandru Davila’s contribution to the process. Keywords: Romanian theatre, directing, scenography, performing, realism, modernism.

At the National Theatre: Nye.

At the National Theatre: Nye.

Space and Memory in Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other

Bernardine Evaristo’s novel Girl, Woman, Other uses the places “the Greenfield Farm” and “National Theatre” as places imprinted cultural memories. The former symbolizes the equally important roles of reformers and radicals in inspiring intellectual progress and constructing social memory, while the latter signifies the breaking of conventions and the empowerment of those pushed to the margins by patriarchal and white supremacist Britain, both of which complement each other in constructing a historical space dominated by the collective authority of black women in Britain. Combined with Assmann’s theory of cultural memory, collective memory and individual memory, especially the latter, have had a significant impact on the construction of individual and social memory.

Adolf de Herz și comedia de bulevard

Considered one of the first authors of boulevard comedies in Romania, A. de Herz is almost absent from the pages of the of Romanian literature history. Nevertheless, the theater history gives him an important place, through his light comedies, with great appeal to the interwar audience. If the plays of historical inspiration remained without an echo when they were published, the comedies "Păianjenul" (“The Spider”), "Bunicul" (“The Grandfather”), "Sorana", "Mărgeluş" (“Tiny Bead”) and "Încurcă-lume" (“The Fumbler”) have been performed on numerous stages in the country, including the National Theater of Bucharest and the National Theater of Craiova. An important chapter in his theatrical activity is the collaboration with C. Tănase and the “Cărăbuș” Theatre. In several plays he performed secondary roles, very well received by the public. With extensive journalistic activity at "Dimineața", "Adevărul", "Adevărul literar și artistic", "Rampa", "Convorbiri critice" etc., Herz was for a good period of time one of the well-known theatre columnists of that epoch. Often, in order to create a relaxed atmosphere for the audience, the author chose to explore current topics, but without great pretensions, full of mundane conversations and expressions with claims of aphorisms. Director of the National Theater of Craiova (1930-1935), A. de Herz prematurely ended his existence, leaving only a few pale traces of his entire creation over time.

Features of the Genre and Style of the Historical and Heroic Opera “Jiang Jie”

Being internationally recognised and having received many state awards, the historical and heroic opera “Jiang Jie”, or “Sister Jiang”, is considered as one of the peaks of national Chinese music. The work is little studied in the Russian scientifi c literature. The music of the opera is based on Sichuan folk songs and their characteristic pentatonic mode, elements of Sichuan and other types of opera, including Beijing, Yu, Yue, Hang Tang, Yang Qin and others. The score includes spoken dialogue, mass and domestic scenes, as in folk Chinese drama, as well as vocal forms, choral and symphonic pieces, as in Western European opera, which gave “Sister Jiang” the features of the genre and style of modern Chinese opera in the Western European style. All this speaks of the development of the national musical theatre traditions in the conditions of a new musical language of the 20th century. The study of this process seems relevant in the context of the problem of preserving national identity in the musical art of China. The article presents the results of an analysis of the features of the genre and style of “Sister Jiang” as a historical and heroic opera in Chinese in the Western European style, which crowns one of the most fruitful periods in the development of modern Chinese musical drama.

Ukrainian Scenography at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Algorithms of Existence—Essential Meanings

The article identifies the main trends in the development of Ukrainian scenography of the beginning of the 21st century, which are implemented by th artists of the national theatre in the complex reality and historical contexts. The author analyses aspects of psychological reformatting of Ukrainian scenography, the artists’ creative guidelines reevaluation under the influence of war and their ability to fully implement their ideas in the formats of theatrical performances, in the space of exhibition projects, installation performance practices formats, in easel works and teaching. The paper studies the projects’ conceptual characteristics and targets of Mariya Levytska, Andrii Aleksandrovych-Dochevskyi, Lyudmila Nagorna, Sergiy and Natalya Rydvanetskis, Bogdan Polishchuk, Inessa Kulchytska, Oleg Tatarynov, Yulia Zaulichana, Olesya Holovach, Olena Polishchuk, and other artists. The author defines the theatre artists’ positions in critical moments of Ukrainian history, identifies the figurative characteristics of the participants’ project installations as manifestations of the artists’ style and the phenomenon of artistic response to the Russian-Ukrainian war and analyses the main participants’ features of the creative development in artistic processes and their role in the evolution of scenography culture in Ukraine. Highlighted is the extraordinary role of theatre artists of the early 21st century as the successors of the national scenography school leading development concepts, in whose creative projects national consciousness is manifested and clearly defined constantly gravitating towards European values.

Acoustic properties of two emblematic theaters in Algeria: The case of the National Theater of Algiers TNA and the Regional Theater of Bejaia TRB

In this paper, the acoustics of multi-purpose colonial theaters in Algeria, those of Algiers and Bejaia, are studied to evaluate their acoustic conditions (suitability for music and speech) in view of their architecture’s evolution. To do, acoustics measurements were performed inside them according to the ISO 3382-1 Standard in unoccupied conditions. The average values of acoustic parameters (EDT, T30, C80, and D50) are reported in frequency domain from 125 to 4 kHz. Furthermore, maps of spatial distribution of T30, C80 at the frequency of 1 kHz, and STI are reported. Results show that the Algiers theater is the more appropriate venue for multipurpose performances (with a fairly low RT of 1.5 s in average mid-frequencies), whereas the Bejaia theater is only suitable for musical performances (with a high RT of 2.5 s in average mid-frequencies).

Place-making and place-taking: memories from Tirana

ABSTRACT Multidisciplinary studies try to explain the complexity and the effects of political processes, such as how decision-making, and socio-political transition are connected with urbanism, and activism. Tirana has faced numerous changes over the years, from urbanism, to political landscapes, to economics, to social aspects, and to public spaces within the city (for example, squares and buildings), all of which are key points towards achieving sustainable transformation. This paper tries to explain and understand the political processes and informal placemaking (public space, buildings, activism) following three main perspectives: a) ontologies on political processes approach, the environment, and urban planning; b) activism and protest events; and c) the legal framework on urban planning and activism. Based on previous studies, experiences from the past and these three perspectives, this paper emphasizes the connection between political processes and informal placemaking by answering the questions: “What is the role of urban transformation in activism in Tirana? What are the implications of political processes on activism and urban transformation? The key studies in this paper focus on public spaces around culture heritage buildings in Tirana, such as the National Theatre building and the “Qemal Stafa” National Stadium.

On the Genesis of the Epic Code in the Aesthetics of the Sakha Theater

The novelty of the research lies in the literary analysis of the performances of the Sakha theater, the definition of epic content in modern stage works. For the first time, the material of the creative rethinking of Western European, Russian and Yakut drama on the ways of forming an aesthetic manifesto of the national theater is summarized. The purpose of the study is to identify the epic code as a key that reveals the role and mission of the Sakha theater in the spiritual culture of the people. The objectives of the research include: 1) to reveal the functionality of the local content of Western European drama by W. Shakespeare, E. T. A. Hoffmann and B. Brecht, whose plays made it possible to creatively decipher the code of the epic heritage of the Sakha people; 2) consider the interaction of theater and prose in the experience of director's staging. The research used methods of historical, literary, comparative and contextual analysis. The study revealed the process of theater's movement towards a synthesis of classical and epic theatrical art. The significance of working with the prose works of P. Oyunsky, S. Kurilov, Ch. Aitmatov as a conceptual part of the manifesto of the Yakut theater is assessed.

Chinghiz Aitmatov’s Mythopoetic Picture of the World through the Context of Modern Stage Interpretations (In Russian)

The theatrical process in Central Asia is characterized by a common history of formation and development, basic principles and at the same time the originality and artistic heterogeneity of national theaters. A theater festival that is currently acquiring important significance as a space for dialogue between cultures serves as an indicator of its transformation in the region. Using the example of the winning performances of the VI International Theater Festival “Aitmatov and Theater” (2023), the mythopoetic picture of the world of Chinghiz Aitmatov is studied in the context of modern stage interpretations.The festival featured productions of prose rather than drama. This determined the features of the aesthetic structure of performances created within logocentric oriental cultures. The article analyzes the performances of Ulanmyrzha Karypbayev, one of the leading young directors in Central Asia. His productions such as “Borandy becket” (Station under Storm) and “Ak keme” (White Steamship) were among the best. They reveal the most characteristic features of U. Karypbayev as a director: a rich metaphorical system, theatrical polyphony, ritualization, grotesque, complex mise-en-scène. A large-scale play “Zhan pida” (Scaffold) directed by Nurkanat Zhakypbai current open the topics of historical memory, national identity and essential issues of existence. His stage interpretation is characterized by multi-layered visuals, exquisite plastic solutions, picturesque crowd scenes, a complex musical score, and a monologue principle in the acting performance. The directors Bair Badmayev and Gafur Mardanov created the story of Mother’s life path in the context of the national picture of the world in the stage versions of Mother Earth.The festival demonstrated a modern theatrical interpretation of Aitmatov’s works in Central Asia, characterized by leaving a usual path of words on stage and turning to more deeper interpretations. It is obvious that compositionally complex stage works are created with all components existing on an equal basis: words, stage action, scenography, rich plastic score, authentic musical sequence with performers on stage. Directors raise current issues, artistically comprehend reality and embody it in ideas, images, stage solutions that reflect the richness and diversity of the theatrical art in Central Asia.

„Aš myliu ir gerbiu visą Čekijos tautą“. Elzės Ožeškienės čekofilinės veiklos pėdsakai, pagrįsti laiškais Edvardui Jelinekui

The article, based on Eliza Orzeszkowa’s letters to Edvard Jelínek from 1881–1896, pre­sents the relationship between the two writers. They were guided by the common idea of vzajemnosti, i.e. promoting cultural activities among the Slavs, aimed at bringing nations together. In this regard, Orzeszkowa undertook many initiatives in cooperation with the Czech writer. The first was an attempt to publish in Polish the work The Fall and Rebirth of the Czech Nation, presenting the history of the Czechs. On the pages of the letters, the project of publishing an anthology works by famous Czech poets and prose writers translated by Czesław Jankowski, Bronisław Teodor Grabowski, Władysław Bełza and Wilhelmina Zyndram-Kościałkowska was discussed. The income from the sale of the publication was planned to be used to rebuild the National Theater in Prague (Národní divadlo), which burned down in 1881. The writer also organized a fundraising for this purpose at the “Orzeszkowa i S-ka” bookstore in Vilnius. The last undertaking was the intention to publish Orzeszkowa’s memories from her stay in Prague – it was to familiarize the reader with Czech culture. Even though some of the discussed plans were already advanced, they were not implemented, mainly due to tsarist decrees. This correspondence is therefore a valuable trace of the Polish–Czech cooperation between writers. The quoted fragments of Orzeszkowa’s letters to Jelínek are in the National Literature Museum in Prague (Památník Národního Písemnictví). They have not been released yet.

African Traditional Arts and Ornamentation in the Architecture of the Cultural Centre Ibadan

Art and architecture have been intertwined throughout history. Art in its various forms has played a vital role in the lives of African people as evident in their architecture. The paper reviewed the African visual culture with respect to ornamentation in the built environment as well as the variations of cultural heritage in the anthropogenic sense. The study adopted a qualitative approach using the case study method with the selection of the Cultural Centre Ibadan. The 1977 Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77) held in Lagos, Nigeria inspired the architecture of the National Theatre in Lagos, and other cultural centres in other cities in Nigeria including the Cultural Centre, Ibadan which exemplified African arts and ornamentation in its façade and spaces. The Cultural Centre Ibadan is a significant masterpiece adorned with African traditional arts and ornamentation. It embodies a bold fusion of art and architecture evident in the intricate sculptural reliefs that beautify its walls, the wooden and metal ornamentation embellishing its halls and lobbies, the luscious blend of geometrical forms and shapes in its façade, its harmony with the undulating landscape and the concrete anthropomorphic sculptural pieces that welcome guests into the entrance quadrangle. The themes of the arts and ornamentation of the Cultural Centre Ibadan reflect traditional Yoruba cultural festivals, philosophical and religious motifs that has transformed the building into a cultural heritage. Artfully embellished architecture with symbolic meanings like the Cultural Centre Ibadan affords the dividends of cultural emancipation, cultural renaissance and cultural preservation. The interweaving of art and architecture in public buildings should be promoted.

“The messenger has arrived”: the Angel of America as a prophet of intra-action on stage

ABSTRACT This article analyses representations of the Angel in the staged productions of Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America across a span of 25 years, from the 1993 Walter Kerr Theatre premiere on Broadway to the 2017 staging at the Royal National Theatre in London. Using Karen Barad’s theoretical framework of intra-action, I argue that the Angel in the play stands for the dynamism of competing forces of Heaven and Earth, which Barad both represents and challenges. In particular, I emphasise the phenomenology of transcendence, depending on the affordances of the theatrical medium. Barad’s definition of apparatus and her agential realist ontology offer a valuable framework for understanding the complexity and significance of stage design elements, such as the flying gear for the Angel. By recognizing the dynamic, interconnected, and performative nature of such apparatuses, we can gain deeper insights into how theatrical effects are created and how the boundaries between the physical and conceptual realms are navigated in the realm of live performance.

Post Scriptum Budapest: The Tenth International Meeting of Theatre (MITEM)

MITEM (Mádach International Theatre Meeting) celebrated its tenth anniversary in October 2023, somewhat out of sync and out of time because of the festival’s cancellation due to Covid in 2020. It was absorbed into the Theatre Olympics (as discussed in New Theatre Quarterly, XXXIX, No. 4 (November 2023) [NTQ 156], p. 377–86), but its most recent edition was something of a replacement for the cancelled event, presented in the round figure of ten that has made everybody happy. It has also allowed this editor to follow through with a ‘PS’ to that article, acknowledging the importance of MITEM for both the National Theatre in Budapest and the theatregoing public. By contrast with the three and a half months of the Theatre Olympiad, MITEM lasted a modest twenty-four days.

Innovations in architecture and the impact of architects´ mobility on their application: the case of the new building of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava

Innovations in architecture and the impact of architects´ mobility on their application: the case of the new building of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava

Театральна діяльність на Буковині в умовах Другої світової війни (1941-1944 рр.)

The purpose of the study is to analyze the conditions of theater activities in Bukovyna during the German-Soviet war, based on the available sources and existing developments of theater history researchers. The methodology of the study is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, system and the use of methods of analysis and synthesis, problem-chronological, biographical, historical-genetic ones. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time in Ukrainian historiography, the state of theatre activities during World War II, specifically the period of the German-Soviet campaign in 1941-1944, of the Romanian theater in Bukovyna was comprehensively analyzed. Conclusions. Thus, during the German-Soviet war, the theatrical activities remained an important component of the cultural space of Chernivtsi, a means of citizens' education. Despite the restoration of the National Theater, theater troupes from various cities in Romania, mainly Bucharest and Iași, presented their activities in the city and the region. The repertoire of the theaters included both world classics and Romanian drama, as well as plays on historical and patriotic topics. The theater faced the task of eliminating the 1940-1941 gap in cultural ties. Sometimes theatrical events carried some propaganda that was considered acceptable in wartime conditions. There was a practice of theatre tours in the cities of Bukovyna and Northern Bessarabia, which took place in 1942-1943. During the war, the fates of Romanian actors and actors of the Chernivtsi Ukrainian Regional Theater were different. Some actors were arrested by the Soviet authorities at the beginning of the German-Soviet war and in its final period.