During his studies with Emil František Burian in Prague, the director Fran Žižek developed a unique version of anti-illusionist theatre. He presented it at the international congress of avant-garde theatres in 1937 in Prague, the centre of the Central European avant-garde. Žižek advocated an ascetic version of total theatre as a synthesis of literature, drama, dance, music and visual arts that is established in an empty space, with acting as its main component. He sought to enrich the possibilities of actor’s expression with moving scenic devices or “stage machines” powered by new technologies, while projections and spotlights created the dynamics of movement on stage. This idea of anti-illusionist theatre was realised in the Independent Theatre, which he founded in 1938, and further developed on the stage of the Mestno gledališče v Ptuju (Ptuj Municipal Theatre) in the 1938/39 and 1939/40 seasons. Although Žižek regularly reflected on his work (in lectures, essays and other publications), this chapter of the Slovenian avant-garde has remained largely unexplored. It was probably neglected in the processes of historicising (Slovenian) theatre because Žižek’s avant-garde endeavours took place at the Ptuj theatre, which was considered a peripheral theatre venue in relation to nearby Maribor. While elaborating on Žižek’s concept of anti-illusionist theatre, the paper focuses on the question of how the director’s theory and practice entered into a dialogue with other theatre reformers, especially with the protagonists of the Prague avant-garde.
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