Resistance

esistance features a selection of overtly non-conformist positions in the contemporary visual art scene of Albania vis-à-vis the most recent social, political, and economic turmoils in the Western Balkans – a region marked by the dark side of political governances that have remained “democratic” in their outward appearance (especially toward the European Union), while dramatically leaning toward autocratic regimes in the eyes of their own citizens. Regardless of their citizens’ primary interests, and despite some positive signals surfacing in the international media, almost every attempt to establish lasting conditions for democratic governance in the Western Balkans has been shrouded in the veil of profit-driven political scandals, personal greed for more and more power over the people’s rights, and the extinction of public property in pursuit of social elite’s corporate and private interests. Additionally, and more specifically related to Tirana, artists and citizens have, over the years, been involved in various types of revolt, expressing their disagreements with the ongoing destruction of public property in the name of “modernization and development”: a movement led by local political powers through financially and strategically motivated processes of architectural cannibalism – not only at the expense of erasing Albanian cultural heritage or long-term residents’ habitats, but also at the expense of taking human lives under the pretext of “urbanization.” The most obvious instance of this economy of destruction was the complex of buildings linked to the National Theater of Albania in downtown Tirana that has served as a symbolic and material place of citizens’ resistance: for more than two years, together with local artists, they have been opposing the government’s plans to demolish the old complex in order to build a new one – until this finally happened in Spring 2020, in the midst of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic. Rooted in the atmosphere of the National Theater Protests in Tirana, RESISTANCE was conceived in Summer 2019 by ZETA Center for Contemporary Art as the International Artists-in-Residence Program, in cooperation with three partner organizations from Kosovo, Serbia and North Macedonia (Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art in Prishtina; Ilija & Mangelos Foundation in Novi Sad; and Faculty of Things That Can’t Be Learned in Bitola) and supported by Swiss Cultural Fund in Albania, a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Gradually, the project expanded into an exhibition (Heterotopias of Resistance, curated by Blerta Hoçia and featuring works by Lori Lako, Fatlum Doçi, Edona Kryeziu, Nina Galiç, Darko Vukiç, Nikola Slavevski, and Natasha Nedelkova) and a series of interviews and panel discussions (with contributions by Lindita Komani, Edmond Budina, Ervin Goci, Ergin Zaloshnja, Pleurad Xhafa, Gentian Shkurti, Stefano Romano, Luçjan Bedeni, HAVEIT, Leonard Qylafi, Jonida Gashi, and Fatmira Nikolli). The results of both have been collected and presented in the format of a publication that, besides serving as an indispensable reading material concerning visual arts and politics in contemporary Albania, especially to those abroad, functions by itself as a form of resistance against contagious cultural policies in weak post-socialist “democracies” in Southeastern Europe.

Actress training by Michael Saint-Denis: improvisation in a mask

The purpose of the article is to analyze the features of the theatrical and pedagogical activity of M. Saint-Denis and to reveal the specifics of the acting training "Improvisation in a mask" in the context of students' work with a neutral and characteristic mask. Methodology. The biographical method was applied (to cover the director's and pedagogical activity of M. Saint-Denis); the typological method (for identifying and determining the main features of the theatrical pedagogy of M. Saint-Denis in general and the methods of teaching the actor developed by him in particular); the method of comparative analysis (for the study of the training "Improvisation in a mask" with neutral and characteristic masks), etc. Scientific novelty. Studied the actor's training "Improvisation in the mask" of the leading theater director and teacher of the twentieth century. M. Saint-Denis and revealed the features of the work of student actors with a neutral and characteristic mask; analyzed the theatrical and pedagogical activities of M. Saint-Denis as a standardizer of theatrical practice in the context of the developed and implemented curricula for acting in drama schools founded with his assistance (London Theater Studio, Old Vic School, Strasbourg Higher School of Dramatic Art, Canadian National Theater School and the Juilliard Drama Department). Conclusions. M. Saint-Denis's holistic model of acting training is formed on the basis of an organic combination of a physical approach, in which the body learns to turn into an absolute expressive instrument, an internal approach, the so-called realistic characterization, and a comprehensive understanding of the style in the context of mastering physical, vocal, intellectual, creative and emotional skills, allows student actors to master all kinds of drama. The study revealed that the mask was considered by M. Saint-Denis as a temporary working tool that helps to reduce feelings of insecurity and awkwardness, enhance the ability of internal self-awareness, enhance expression and experimental activity, develop concentration of attention, self-control of a student-actor and a harmonious path from the inception of physical qualities. character to their external dramatic expression. The student's task is to fill the mask, to give it life and feelings. If the actor who animates the mask is convincing and sincere, it feels like he has his own facial expression. The aim of the training is: to eradicate cliché-manners; teach students to develop and release creative impulses; to teach students to work on classical roles or roles of the "big style" (according to M. Saint-Denis).

Integrative reflections in the contemporary approach of the architecture of buildings for shows

The current approaches, materialized in studies and research programs, further explain and complete the general picture regarding the identity of buildings for shows in the Republic of Moldova. The need to update existing information and correct errors and unconfirmed assumptions arises as a result of identifying new data. The research carried out in the field of buildings for shows focuses both on the detailing of its constitution and on the revelation of the architectural-artistic value – starting with the 19th century. The first buildings for shows (the Nobles’ Meeting Club and the „Pushkin” Auditorium), the refurbished buildings („Patria” Cinema and the Organ Hall) and adaptations to new programs such as soviet cinemas are highlighted. Thorough research of the history of construction and reconstruction of the two most famous buildings for shows, which were the headquarters of the Romanian National Theater in Chisinau, contributes to the identification of valid novelties in the correct and coherent dating and interpretation, as well as the names of the authors of the projects. Programs based on appreciating the value of the cultural heritage of the Soviet period are submitted to the attention of the professional environment, the interested public and the administrators of the built heritage and represent an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of re-evaluating this heritage.

Epic Heritage - The Gold Treasure

The article discusses the role and importance of folk art heritage in the development of national theater art in Central Asia. To date, the theatrical art of the region has a great experience and it has the opportunity to compare its culture with others. Epic direction is one of the points of support, one of the heights from which you can look at the experience and trends of the world of theatrical art. (72) In folk epics, various elements of culture and spirituality are traced, and the peculiarities of a particular nationality are revealed. The entry of the European style of theater into the framework of the culture of Central Asia certainly influenced the development of traditional theater of the people. Creative figures faced the problem of showing their performances on closed stages, in rooms. In the pieces, folk customs are presented following a common pattern, whereas national theatres offer their own interpretation, reflecting the culture, customs, and the nation’s past. Not only essentially different pieces of the same title and subject, created by different nations, differ in style, methods, means of artistic representation and character interpretation, and never a hero of one nation is a repetition of the image created by the neighboring nation. This is how the nation’s mentality, culture, spiritual character, and traditional values are exposed. This, in turn, is a dominant feature in the evolution of theatres. Thus, the epic heritage serves as the golden treasure of the theatrical culture of Central Asia.

ARCHITECTURE OF NATIONAL THEATER PAVILIONS AT THE EXHIBITIONS OF THE PRAGUE QUADRIENAL, AND IN PARTICULAR, THE FIRST UKRAINIAN

The article highlights the ideas of forming the architecture of scenographic pavilions at world exhibitions that demonstrate works of theatrical art on the example of those that presented theatrical art at one of the most famous forums in the world – the Prague Quadrennial in 1967-2019 (PQ), and in particular, the first Ukrainian ones. Quadrennial events are held every 4 years and present the development of various theatrical arts: architecture, scenography, performing arts, theatre skills, etc. But few of the interesting architectural solutions of national pavilions and installations are represented in professional, educational, popular and scientific publications. Therefore, the authors of the article decided to highlight various architectural ideas of national theatre pavilions (Belgium, the former USSR and Russia, Germany, Slovakia, Spain, Estonia), and in particular, the creation of the architecture of the first Ukrainian ones. The authors – teachers, postgraduates, students of the Department of Architectural Environment Design – relied upon and developed the architectural and scenographic ideas of the world-famous scenographer Y. Lysyk in 2015, 2019. The space of which in the first case was a stage, the horizon and wings of which were similar to the curtain from the performance of Lysyk's ballet "Romeo and Juliet", and in the second case, in 2019, space resembled the "amphitheatre" of the Ukrainian prehistoric theatre for Kupala drama. The horizon was enlarged based on the artist's sketch for the folk opera "When the Fern Blooms".

Lituanian directors read „Forefathers’ Eve”

The article concerns two theatrical stagings of “Forefathers’ Eve” made by Lithuanian directors: Jonas Vaitkus (Academic Dramatic Theater in Vilnius, 1990) and Eimuntas Nekrošius (National Theater in Warsaw, 2016). The author recalls the history of the reception of both productions, juxtaposes them and analyzes the Lithuanian threads presented in them.

The Plowman and the Music as gender personifications of the Czech identity in culture

The culture of the Czech National Revival produced a symbolic autoidentification in figures of the Plowman and the Music. The drawings of J. Mánes and the sculptures of J. Myslbek perpetuated these figures as gender symbols of the Czech identity. The figures of the Plowman and the Music are presented in the Mánes’ drawing “Domov”. The semantics of the drawing is versatile, which provides an impulse for its culturological interpretation. A symbolic figure of the Plowman in historical and cultural consciousness of Czechs has been associated with Přemysl the Ploughman — the legendary founder of the Přemyslid dynasty. According to the Czech legend told by Cosmas of Prague, Přemysl was elected the prince upon the request by the Czech ruler Libuše, who then married him. The title of the drawing refers to the song of J. K. Tyl, which had become somewhat of an unofficial Czech anthem of the 19th century. In the Mánes’ drawing Libuše is substituted by a symbolic figure of the Music as a personification of the national genius of Czechs. Historical-patriotic connotations generate the image of the Czech people, which formed in the epoch of the National Revival. Moreover, the Czech identity manifested itself in gender as a harmony of the male and female principles, work, and music. The idea of organic work as the basis of art is introduced into the drawing`s composition. A series of Mánes’ drawings “The Music” came to be a vivid embodiment of the national identity, showing the life of a peasant accompanied by music from birth till death. The Myslbek’s sculpture “The Music”, which became lobby`s centerpiece of a new Czech sacred place — The National Theater in Prague, is presented as a personification of the Czech identity in culture. A female image of the Music is identified with the soul of the people in a state of sociocultural and political emancipation.

Ballet Fit for a National Theater? Carré, the Critics, and Le Cygne at the Opéra-Comique

When Albert Carré became the director of the Paris Opéra-Comique in 1898, he did so with the goal of rejuvenating French lyric theater. He also took possession of a national institution in a state of flux. The Opéra-Comique had a new hall and a new mandate, and it had recently become the focus of debates in the press about what role the city’s second national lyric theater should play in French culture. Although debates initially revolved around opera, Carré’s plans for renewal included ballet, not seen at the Opéra-Comique for over a century. This article discusses the role ballet played in promoting Carré’s artistic objectives. At first glance the theater’s repertoire appears to be at odds with Carré’s progressive ideals. The Opéra-Comique staged only one innovative ballet, Le Cygne (1899)—a pop-culture-inflected mythological parody by Catulle Mendès, Charles Lecocq, and Madame Mariquita. Carré then turned to staging old-fashioned pantomime-ballets, confining innovative dances to divertissements in operas. The reasons for Carré’s repertoire decisions can, I argue, be found in the reception of Le Cygne. Carré’s initial ballet was highly contested, and critics’ arguments mirrored ongoing press debates about ballet’s value and place in French culture. I contend that Carré’s initial modernist ballet, and his shift to mixing conventional pantomime-ballets with modern opera divertissements in response to the contentious reception of Le Cygne, were part of a calculated attempt to establish the Opéra-Comique as an emblematic French national theater that was simultaneously a museum and a progressive space for modern innovation.