Oldal 480 [480]
THE ROLE OF THEATRE AND DRAMA
with the attribute of being "Slovak" (rather than "Czech" or "Czechoslovak.")
Between 1939 and 1945, the Slovak National Theatre did not have to assert its
legitimacy in terms of national theatre since the Slovaks acguired a national
state and the arts caught up with modern trends. However, due to the historical
circumstances of the regime, the Slovak National Iheatre again balanced
its function as an artistic and cultural institution with the limitations of a
totalitarian society: it again mirrored situations and languages heard in the
streets. It was a venue both for ceremonies of the regime and for expressing
freedom. However, in conditions of censorship and state supervision, freedom
was found more likely in escapism rather than in protest.”
The development of the professional theatre in Slovakia was closely related to
historical and political changes in the 20" century. The Czechoslovak Republic
facilitated the foundation of the professional theatre after 1918, and the Slovak
National Theatre asserted a Czechoslovak (Slovak) segment in Bratislava. The rise
of the Slovak Republic in 1939 coincided with the period of artistic blossoming
of the professional theatre, but it was blemished by political circumstances.
A network of professional theatres created in Slovakia after 1948 helped the
regime to spread Communist cultural policy but it also developed culture outside
Bratislava. The idea of building a new Slovak National Theatre was frequently
proposed; eventually in the 1980s a new project was approved, but the institution
only moved into its new building in 2007, almost twenty years after the end of
Communism and almost fifteen years after Slovakia’s independence.” Like the old
theatre (still used for some performances) in the historic centre, the new building,
which adjoins a large shopping centre facing the Danube, is an architectural
palimpsest written in two different regimes. This temporal coincidence may help
to smooth the discontinuity between the pre-1989 and post-1989 periods.
The paper is an outcome of a Slovak research grant VEGA 2/0033/16
Modernism in Slovak Literature 1900-1948
Among performances cancelled due to censorship after 1939, we can mention J. Barc-Ivan’s
play Diktdtor (Dictator), which had obvious implications for the political situation. A satire
on achievers in a new regime had to be softened in another of Barc-Ivan’s plays, his comedy
Mastny hrniec (Greasy Pot) premiered in 1940. A play on a Slovak national hero, the robber
Janosik, written by M. Razusova-Martakova and premiered in 1941, was also modified since
it expressed ideas about freedom and the struggle against oppression. All these plays were
directed by F. Hoffmann.
20 Since 1 January, 1993, the Czech and Slovak Republics have been the successors of the
Czechoslovak (Czecho-Slovak Republic/Czechoslovak Federative) Republic.
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