| dc.description.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. | fi |
