Related Projects | Theatre Theory

Prague School Theatre Theory: its context and potency (2011–2015)

The project Prague School Theatre Theory: its context and potency (2011–2015) was a vast and intensive research project, supported by the Czech Science Foundation. All activities were launched by the international conference Prague Semiotics Stage Revisited I in June 2011. Respected authorities in field of theatre semiotics (Patrice Pavis, Marco de Marinis, Fernando de Toro, Veronika Ambros, H. Schmid etc.) were invited to give comment on position of theatre semiotics in today's theatre studies, members of the team presented results of their research (Barbora Příhodová, Šárka Havlíčková-Kysová) or informed about our research project, its general aim (Pavel Drábek), changing concepts of the Reader (David Drozd) and problems on translation terminology (Don Sparling, Tomáš Kačer).

Book cover for "An Approach to the Semiotics of Theatre" by Jiří Veltruský, featuring a minimalist design with geometric lines on a salmon background.

Proceedings of the conference were published next in in Theatralia 2012/2 Prague Semiotics Stage Revisited (see online)

One of the focuses of research was the work and life of Czech semiotician Jiří Veltruský. In 2012 this resulted in publishing of Jiří Veltruský An Approach the the Semiotics of Theatre.

In May 2013 was held the second international conference Prague Semiotics Stage Revisited II. Apart from invited foreign speakers, the audience included Czech specialists and a group of American students from Ohio led by prof. Brandesky. The team presented outcomes of their individual research, confronting it with respected specialists, such as prof. Veronika Ambros, prof. Herta Schmid, prof. Freddie Rokem, prof. Yana Meerzon, prof. Elisabeth Sakelaridou.

Cover of the "Theatralia" magazine featuring an image of empty theater seats with a sepia filter. There's a graphic of a skull with a clown nose in the upper right corner, and text announcing the issue theme "Prague Semiotic Stage Revisited II."

Special issue of Theatralia journal in autumn 2014 was dedicated to the conference proceedings Theatralia 2014/2 Prague Semiotics Stage Revisited II.

There are two final and summarising outcomes of the project:

Cover of "Theatralia" journal, volume 19, number 1 from 2016 with a background of faded handwritten text.

Special issue of Theatralia 2016/1 Czech Theatre Structuralism and the Prague School provides the final result of individual research lines of particular team members.

The summative anthology, including commentary, introduction and contextual afterword Theatre Theory Reader: Reader School Writings (2016)

Complete list of outcomes of the project Czech theatre structuralism: context and potency are available here.