The Time of Theatre - Four Case Studies from 20th-Century

Although grounded in a long-established scholarly tradition, this book is also conceived as an experimental undertaking. It explores historical acting practices and reconsiders twentieth-century Hungarian theatre history through the lens of performance. Its central hypothesis is that, alongside and beyond the history of director’s theatre, it is possible to reconstruct equally distinctive histories of acting—histories that have shaped contemporary Hungarian theatre no less profoundly. Through four case studies examining the work of József Timár, Éva Ruttkai, Árpád Ódry, and Lili Monori, the book argues that not only theatre as an institution and artistic form, but acting itself, may be understood as a cultural model. It further proposes that theatrical history is transmitted through acting practice even in the absence of explicit codification.

Co-publisher: Universitaria Craiova Publishing House