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Blaho Uhlàr and the Slovak Theatre of Crisis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2009

Joe Cook
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Abstract

When we published Barbara Day's introduction to modern theatre in Czechoslovakia in NTQ7 (1986), we could little imagine that by the turn of the decade we would be carrying regular reports from Eastern Europe on the effects of the disintegration of the Soviet empire upon the theatres and theatre people of the former satellite states. In NTQ27 (1991), we included an overview of recent developments in the Polish theatre – following this up in NTQ28 with a detailed feature on the work of a single company in the new era, Gardzienice. Here, we similarly complement Premsyl Rut's report in NTQ27 on ‘The State of the New Czech Theatre’ with a study of the work of one of the directors who, like so many people in the arts, served as a herald to the ‘velvet revolution’ – Blaho Uhlár, whose career began, in the difficult years after the Soviet invasion of 1968, with the Theatre for Children and Youth, and whose most recently completed production with the Divadle Alexandra Duchnovic company, Nono, visited the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff during the city's festival last October.

Type
Research Article
Information
New Theatre Quarterly , Volume 8 , Issue 30 , May 1992 , pp. 178 - 186
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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References

Notes and References

1. For an overall history of the development of Czechoslovak theatre, see Day, Barbara, ‘Czech Theatre from the National Revival to the Present Day’, New Theatre Quarterly, II, No. 7 (08 1986)Google Scholar.

2. From conversations with Milos Ruppeldt, CSFR Cultural Attaché to Britain, Oct. 1991; Dana Sliuková, Deputy Director, National Theatre Centre, Bratislava, Slovakia, Oct. 1991; and with acknowledgements to McCaw, Dick, ‘Report on a Visit to Poland and Czecho-slovakia’, International Workshops, London, 05 1991Google Scholar.

3. A comprehensive and engaging overview of this period can be found in Michael Simmons, The Reluctant President: a Political Life of Vaclav Havel (Methuen), which also provides a good illustration of the climate in Czechoslovakia during the ‘fifties, ‘sixties, and ‘seventies, placing theatre in a socio-political context.

4. See reviews in the ‘quality’ nationals, The Independent, The Times, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times, Financial Times, and Glasgow Herald, during August.

5. The Czechoslovak theatre writer, Milos Mistrik, has written comprehensively about Trnava and Blaho Uhlàr. An abridged version can be found in Theatre: Czech and Slovak 1/91, available from Theatre Institute Prague, Celetna 17, 110 000, Prague 1, CSFR.

6. Bednàrik is now a professional director. An article about his work is included in Theatre: Czech and Slovak 1/91, op. cit.

7. Czech ‘authors workshops’ are discussed in Barbara Day, op. cit. The earliest date given is 1983.

8. See Theatre: Czech and Slovak 1/91, op. cit.

9. Conversation with Janek Alexander, Oct. 1991.

10. From the programme-cum-information sheet issued by D.A.D. on their visit to the UK, Oct. 1991.