Hvar City Theatre Days, Vol. 43 No. 1, 2017.
Original scientific paper
NINO ŠKRABE AND TRADITION OF POPULAR THEATRE // THEATRE FOR THE PEOPLE
Boris Senker
orcid.org/0000-0001-5158-610X
; Faculty of philosophy in Zagreb, University of Zagreb
Abstract
The first section of this essay deals with ideas of popular theatre and/or theatre for the people as conceived by two Croatian authors, theatre and literary critic Ljubomir Maraković, in the book Pučka pozornica (People’s Stage, 1929), and architect and theatre director Aleksandar Freudenreich, in books Gluma (Acting, 1934) and Kazalište za narod (Theatre for the People, 1940). While Maraković insists on differences between nonprofessional and professional theatre, and on »believing people«, mostly rural, as the target audience of nonprofessional theatre, Freudenreich argues in favour of cooperation between nonprofessional and professional theatre, and lower, both rural and urban, classes as targeted audience for united »theatre for the people«. Ethical component of that sort of theatre is for Maraković, as well as for Freudenreich, fare more important than aesthetical one. The second section is focused two representative theatre pieces by playwright and theatre director Nino Škrabe (Jastrebarsko, 1947): melodrama Za kunu nade (Hope for a Penny) and Christmas play Isus u snack-baru (Jesus in a Snack-bar). In both plays Škrabe problematizes destruction of traditional values in Croatia in the time of, as he puts it, »deceptive and shameful transition« and »wild, vulgar capitalism«. His focus is on negative effects of economic and political changes on traditional lower-class family, and on love, faith and solidarity as the only way of resistance and preservation of the traditional human values.
Keywords
Nino Škrabe; Ljubomir Maraković; Aleksandar Freudenreich; popular theatre; theatre for the people
Hrčak ID:
192199
URI
Publication date:
8.5.2017.
Visits: 1.284 *