In this thesis, I examine the partisan one-act plays by Matej Bor, Jože Bon, Milan Klopčič, Marjan Kozina, and Vitomil Zupan. The aim of the study is to explore whether these texts were intended exclusively as propaganda or whether, within the framework of partisan one-act plays written for rallies, they can also be considered works of art. In the first part, I discuss terminology and examine the conditions under which dramatic texts were written during World War II. The circumstances were difficult, which also affected the quality and length of the works. I investigate where these works were performed and describe several theatre groups and theatres active during this period. The most important among them was the Slovensko narodno gledališče na osvobojenem ozemlju.
In the second part, I conduct a detailed analysis of selected works, covering five agitprop plays: Gospod Lisjak, Punt, Zločin na novomeškem trgu, Mati, and Štirje bratje from the collection Težka ura: zbirka partizanskih iger. The collection also includes the plays Težka ura and Raztrganci by Matej Bor, Naš pohod by Zvone Sintič, and Morale je zmanjkalo by Franc Vreg-Mile. I find that the main purpose of these plays was propaganda and agitation. The authors aimed to encourage as many people as possible to join the National Liberation Struggle (NOB), which is why the ideas of the NOB always prevail in these dramas. Nevertheless, the works cannot be entirely stripped of their artistic value, as they also include comedic elements and intertextuality.
|
