Tradition and innovation: transformations of Hungarian theatre since the 1920’s. The unknown fields of 20^th century Hungarian theatre and drama, the interchange of contemporary trends of European and Hungarian theatre. Studies in the poetics of drama, in the history of motives and in semiotics of the theatre. Portraits of actors and directors from the the theatre of the past century and of our time

Tradition and Innovation: Transformations of Hungarian Theatre Since the 1920’s

The project "Tradition and Innovation: Transformations of Hungarian Theatre Since the 1920’s" involves a basic research in a field, which has not been examined by any institutions or research groups so far. The project tries to reinterpret the problems of tradition and innovation in diverse fields. It studies the formation of Hungarian avantgarde theatre, the most significant playwrights and plays, the trends of themes between the world wars in historical linearity. The theatre of the time is examined through portraits of actors and directors, through studies of different forms of acting and directing. The project is completed by a special research, in which we collect documents concerning the reconstruction of old theatres and the building of new theatres since the 1920’s. We create a database of photographs, which contributes to the education of undergraduate students of theatre studies. This database will also be published in a special book.

The fields of our research have not been discovered and dealt with in a monography. The book "Hungarian theatre between 1873 and 1920", published in 2001, focuses on the period up to 1920. The long period after this date is of extremely great significance, so studies in Hungarian theatre should be continued by all means. Therefore our project is a basic research and a scientific summery as well.

During the three year project the results of our research will be published continuously in various journals and in the periodal of our department "Theatron". Individual studies of greater length will be published in the book series of the Department of Theatre Studies and the Veszprém University Press. The essays focusing on Hungarian theatre between 1920 and 1945 will contribute to the third volume of "Hungarian Theatre History". Essays on the history of Hungarian avantgarde theatre, on the acting style, on the significant actors, directors and playwrights (e.g. Ferenc Molnár, Sándor Bródy, Ferenc Herczeg) of the period will all be parts of this book.

Our department will organize conferences and various programmes annually to give account of the results of the scientific research supported by OTKA.