Hvar City Theatre Days, Vol. 37 No. 1, 2011.
Original scientific paper
Theater as a Place of Remembrance in The Croatian Faustus by Slobodan Šnajder
Ivica Baković
orcid.org/0000-0003-0760-6876
; Faculty of philosophy in Zagreb
Abstract
This article analyses theater and theater space as a place of remembrance in the play The Croatian Faustus by Slobodan Šnajder. The play is not only one of the most controversial ones in the framework of Croatian drama from the last decades of the 20th century, but is also one of the most demanding texts for Croatian modern stage production. By focusing critically on the historical period of the NDH (Independent State of Croatia) this drama, at the time, testified to the power of literature and theater to initiate public debate. This also reveals the power of stage performance because the play is interpreted in a wider context (both Croatian and European) of modern historical plays, especially regarding the fact that history is both performed and interpreted as a stage performance. It should serve as an example of warning about the power of theater as a space which remembers, which through repeated performances of historical events speaks about its own social context as an illusion, indicating ever present problems which stem from the past.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
72009
URI
Publication date:
3.5.2011.
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