Theatre in Eastern and Central Europe was never the same after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In the transition to a postcommunist world, 'alternative theatre' found ways to grapple with political chaos, corruption, and aggressive implementation of a market economy. Three decades later, this volume is the first comprehensive examination of alternative theatre in ten former communist countries. The essays focus on companies and artists that radically changed the language and organization of theatre in the countries formerly known as the Eastern European bloc. This collection investigates the ways in which postcommunist alternative theatre negotiated and embodied change not only locally but globally as well. Contributors: Dennis Barnett, Dennis C. Beck, Violeta Decheva, Luule Epner, John Freedman, Barry Freeman, Margarita Kompelmakher, Jaak Rahesoo, Angelina Rosca, Banuta Rubess, Christopher Silsby, Andrea Tompa, S. E. Wilmer
Author(s): Vessela S. Warner, Diana Manole
Series: Studies in Theatre History and Culture
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 298
City: Iowa City
Contents
Restoring Theatre Activism in Postcommunist Eastern and Central Europe-Diana Manole
Alternative Theatre in the Postcolonies of Communism-Vessela S. Warner
Part One. Re/Inventing Alternative Theatre after the Fall of Communism
1. Reality Makers: Hungarian Independent Theatre before and after Communism-Andrea Tompa
2. The Center and the Fringe: Post-Soviet Alternative Theatre in Estonia-Jaak Rähesoo
3. Theatre NO99: An Alternative State Theatre-Luule Epner
4. The Search for Alternatives in Latvian Theatre, 1991–2004: A Creator’s Notebook-Baņuta Rubess
5. The Assault of Alternative Theatre against the Limited Universe-Angelina Roşca
6. Teatr.doc and the Struggle for Authenticity and Relevance in Contemporary Russian Drama and Theatre-John Freedman
7. DAH Theatre: Decontaminating Serbian Culture-Dennis Barnett
Part II. Postcommunist Aesthetics and Performance Dissent
8. Fusing Performative Boundaries: Relations among Text, Actor, and Space in the Experimental Style of Theatre Laboratory Sfumato-Violeta Detcheva and Vessela S. Warner
9. Theatre Laboratory Alma Alter: Jerzy Grotowski’s Legacy and the Heterogeneous Origin of Bulgarian Alternative Theatre-Vessela S. Warner
10. Redefining Kitsch and Camp in Russian Opera: Moscow’s Helikon Opera in Transition-Christopher Silsby
11. Prague’s Studio Ypsilon and the Czech Liberated Theatre: An Intercultural Perspective at the Start of the Twenty-First Century-Barry Freeman
12. After the Avalanche: Czech Theatre’s Search for the Meaning of Alternative-Dennis C. Beck
13. Playing with Citizenship: NSK and Janez Janša-S. E. Wilmer
14. The Perfect Other: Performing Artistic Freedom in Solidarity with the Belarus Free Theatre-Margarita Kompelmakher
Notes
Bibliography
Contributors
Index
