METAPHOR AND IRONY 2 - Divadlo.cz

new generation and were the source of bold theatrical experiments. Fourth,
the ability to do this kind of work in the avant-garde theatres was made
possible by the fact that the re-imposition of strict cultural restrictions did not
re-impose the rules of Socialist Realism on theatre design.
ACTION DESIGN
Ironically the “Period of Normalization” that was supposed to stamp out all
revolutionary activity in the country after 1968 inadvertently sowed the seeds
for one of the most remarkable revolutions in theatre production and design.
The secret language hinted at in the Scenographic style began to transform
itself in the experimental theatres throughout the country into a complex
theatrical grammar that allowed theatre artists, in silent agreement with their
audiences, to talk truthfully about present day life in their country. Lead by
the bold departures of Jaroslav Malina, this new generation of designers,
represented in this exhibit by Helena Anýžová, Jan Dušek, Petr Matásek, Marie
Franková, Marta Roszkopfová, Ivo Žídek, and later, Jana Zbořilová, Karel
Glogr, and Dana Hávová, developed and refined new style of theatrical design.
Known as Action Design, it became the visual partner of the best productions
in the Czech theatres from approximately 1965 to 1990. Action Design existed
on two levels simultaneously. On the surface it was simple, functional,
abstract, and seemingly disconnected from the present day reality of life in
Czechoslovakia. But below the surface existed a complex web of metaphorical
associations and ironic references that audiences understood and responded
to as mirrors of their present day concerns. Three production ideas: Author's
Theatre, Universal Space, and Open Communication were the bases of Action
Design.
František Tröster: The Madwoman from Chaillot, Jean Giradoux; 1948
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