Színháztörténeti metszetek a 19. század végétöl a 20. század közepéig

Abstract

The target area of my research is the history of the theatre in the last decades of the 19th and the first decades of the 20th centuries. I am trying to reveal what kind of theatre existed on the fringes of the world of theatre, because in the first decades of the 20th century several artists tried to follow the new European trends and to make use of their results. I wish to present this process through the careers of two actors: Irén Feld and Artúr Bárdos. Besides these experiments I wish to deal with theatre in the country. In the second half of the 19th century several modern theatre buildings were erected in the country, along which the quality of the performances slightly improved, too, however, they were still characterised mainly by rough outlines, the impression of temporariness and poor scenery. The repertoire in the country was dominated by the genres of light amusement such as the operetta and popular plays about rural life in spite of the fact that the directors were confined by the local councils to stage Hungarian and world classics, in case of big cities, even operas. The public did not become involved and interested in these experimental performances and new trends in the theatre of the country. People were mostly interested in the lives of certain famous actors and actresses instead. Following the careers of three outstanding actresses, Mari Jászai, Sári Fedák and Katalin Karády, I wish to extend the scope of my studies into an unrevealed field and show how the background institutions of the theatre, ticket sellers, audience organizers, and the press worked. I would also like to discuss how the habits of theatregoing changed, what the relationship between the theatre and the audience was like, and what social prestige actors and actresses had in the given period. I dare hope I can find new aspects and point out new connections in my field of study as well as enrich the methodology of theatre research.