Czech Theatre after 1945

Research into Czech theatre after 1945 includes several crucial areas. Its aim is not only to map historicographically areas of Czech post-war theatre so far unexamined, but also to analyse and interpret the development trends in Czech drama and theatre. We can assign foundation and existence of theatres (both in cities and in regions), the dramaturgy of particular theatres, the theatre directing of selected personalities (and development of their directorial manuscript with respect to the theatre’s artistic course), stage design and other constituents of theatre. The theatre work of a particular period can include both the professional activities of traditional and studio theatres, and amateur ensembles and groups as well as the critical reflection of these theatres and ensembles´ activities.

Research Focus and Methods

Mapping the post-war development of theatre is based mostly on heuristic research in selected archives in the Czech Republic (Theatre Department of the National Museum in Prague, Museum of Czech Literature, Moravian Museum, State Regional Archives and others). Researchers correlate new findings within the social-political and artistic context of the period and possibly also of the region (literature: Vladimír Just, Jiří Knapík, Karel Kaplan and others) in the following evaluation of the material and its interpretation. The aim of the research is to complete areas of the Czech post-war period so far unprocessed and thus to follow existing Bachelor´s and Master´s theses and dissertations (e.g.  Beskydy Theatre in Nový Jíčín/Beskydské divadlo v Novém Jičíně [1942–1963] by Zdenka Gočálová; Jiří Svoboda – A Foot Soldier in Theatre [Aspects of the Director Profession in the 1960s in regional theatre]/Pěšák divadla – Jiří Svoboda [Podoby profese divadelního režiséra v šedesátých letech 20. století v regionálním divadle] by Naďa Satková or Karel Novák, Theatre Director/ Divadelní režisér Karel Novák [1916–1968] by Iva Mikulová). In our research, we must not forget the long-term research of Moravian theatre, which is under way at the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at the Faculty of Art at Palacký University Olomouc.