Ibsen at the Theatrical Crossroads of Europe: A Performance History of Henrik Ibsen's Plays on the Romanian Stages, 1894-1947 (Theatre Studies)

While Ibsen's plays were seldom performed in Romania in the first half of the 20th century, historical sources highlight his strong impact on the national theatre practice. To address this contradiction, Gianina Druta approaches the reception of Ibsen in the Romanian theatre in the period 1894-1947, combining Digital Humanities and theatre historiography. This investigation of the European theatre culture and the way in which the foreign acting and staging traditions influenced the Romanian Ibsenites provides new insights into mechanisms of aesthetic transmission. Thus, this study presents a European theatre landscape whose unpredictability and uniqueness cannot be confined to essentialist interpretations. Cover Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Part One 1.1 Methodological and theoretical framework 1.1.1 Methodological framing 1.1.2 Digital humanities framework. IbsenStage Database 1.1.3 Theatre historiography and practice of acting 1.1.4 From nation building to post‐colonial theory and intercrossed histories 1.2 What is Romania? Preliminary considerations 1.2.1 At the crossroads of history 1.2.2 Territorial fluidity 1.2.3 Cultural influences 1.3 Previous research on Henrik Ibsen’s presence on the Romanian stage 1.4 Dataset 1.5 Periodization and patterns revealed by the data 1.5.1 Periodization 1.5.2 Patterns Part Two 2.1 The appropriation of foreign cultural models in the reception to Henrik Ibsen in Romania 2.2 The French model 2.2.1 French Ibsen tours in Romania 2.2.1.1 Andre Antoine, 1894 2.2.1.2 Gabrielle Rejane, 1897 2.2.1.3 Suzanne Despres and Aurelien‐Marie Lugne‐Poe, 1906–1912 2.2.1.3.1 Lugne‐Poe and the Romanian‐French theatrical “chemistry” 2.2.2 Final remarks 2.3 The Italian model 2.3.1 A realist overlapping: Ermete Zacconi and Alfredo de Sanctis as Osvald 2.3.1.1 The Italian intertwining of acting practices 2.3.1.2 Ermete Zacconi and the Ibsen “terror” 2.3.1.3 Alfredo de Sanctis and his Ibsenian family 2.3.2 Emma Gramatica. A verismo Nora 2.3.3 A 1940’s Love’s Comedy. Corrado Pavolini 2.3.4 Final remarks 2.4 The German model 2.4.1 Burgtheater. 1884, The Pretenders 2.4.2 The Golden Age of the German Ibsen on the Romanian stage. Stars and ensembles 2.4.2.1 Agnes Sorma’s Nora 2.4.2.2 The German Ibsen ensembles of Gustav Lindemann, Maria Rehoff and Ludwig Stärk 2.4.3 Ibsen performances during the German occupation of Bucharest (1916–1918) 2.4.4 Alexander Moissi: a “public order disturber” Osvald 2.4.5 Final remarks 2.5 Minor reception models. Hungarian and Yiddish Ibsen performances on the Romanian map 2.5.1 The Transylvanian Henrik Ibsen (1879–1945) 2.5.1.1 Transylvania: a focal point in the Hungarian‐speaking reception of Ibsen 2.5.1.2 Tours and actors 2.5.1.2.1 Actor‐managers 2.5.1.2.2 Guest actors 2.5.1.3 Final remarks 2.5.2 The Yiddish tours 2.5.2.1 The Vilna Troupe 2.5.2.2 Ida Kaminska and the Warsaw Yiddish Art Theater 2.5.2.3 Final remarks 2.6 Conclusions Part Three 3.1 How much Ibsen? Ibsen’s “acclimatisation” in the Romanian theatres’ repertory 3.1.1 General repertory statistics 3.1.2 Ibsen in the repertory 3.1.3 Final remarks 3.2 What is the Romanian national theatre? 3.2.1 Theatre as a “good” of the State 3.2.2 Theatre and state finances 3.2.3 The National Theatre’s management 3.2.3.1 Theatre administration and repertory 3.2.4 Legislation and repertory 3.2.4.1 Commercialism 3.2.4.2 Protectionism 3.2.4.3 Aesthetics 3.2.5 Conclusions Part Four 4.1 Romanian Ibsenites 4.1.1 Introduction 4.1.1.1 Whom? 4.1.1.2 The Romanian theatre before Ibsen 4.1.1.2.1 Why do actors dominate? 4.1.1.2.2 Early acting approaches before Ibsen 4.1.1.2.3 Actor training traditions 4.1.1.3 Connections: Maps, graphs and networks 4.1.1.3.1 Temporal frame 4.1.1.3.2 Spatial frame 4.1.1.3.3 Institutional frame 4.1.1.4 Final remarks 4.2 Section One. Production Hubs 4.2.1 National Theatre of Iași Hub: State Dragomir, Aglae Pruteanu and Napoleone Borelli 4.2.1.1 Introduction 4.2.1.2 State Dragomir: an Ibsen teacher 4.2.1.3 Aglae Pruteanu: Nora who never left 4.2.1.4 Napoleone Borelli: Ibsen in‐between Romanticism and naturalism in Iași 4.2.2 Private Companies Hub. Ion Manolescu and Mărioara Voiculescu 4.2.2.1 Introduction 4.2.2.2 Ion Manolescu and the Bulandra Company 4.2.2.3 Mărioara Voiculescu: Peer Gynt en travesti 4.2.3 National Theatre of Bucharest Hub 4.2.3.1 Paul Gusty 4.2.3.1.1 Gusty, a realist director 4.2.3.1.2 The primacy of the actor in Gusty’s approach 4.2.3.1.3 Which productions? 4.2.3.2 Mix of star approach and ensemble approach 4.2.3.3 Mix of drama and comedy training 4.2.3.4 Mix of acting genres 4.2.4 Conclusions Production Hubs 4.3 Section Two. Character sites 4.3.1 Introduction 4.3.2 The Romanian Osvald thread. Constantin I. Nottara, Aristide Demetriade and Ion Manolescu 4.3.2.1 Constantin I. Nottara 4.3.2.2 Aristide Demetriade 4.3.2.3 Ion Manolescu 4.3.3 The Mrs Alvings of the Romanian stage 4.3.3.1 Agatha Barsescu: A polyglot Mrs Alving 4.3.3.2 Mărioara Voiculescu in Ghosts 4.3.4 Petre Sturdza: The “subversive” Latin Dr. Stockmann of the Romanian stage 4.3.5 Conclusions Character Sites 4.3.6 Final remarks Part Five: Conclusions Part Six: Technical Appendix. Networks 6.1 Three layers 6.2 Ibsen network layer 6.3 Romanian Ibsen key contributors layer 6.4 National network layer 6.5 Final remarks Figures Bibliography Collections in Archives and Libraries While Ibsen's plays were not performed with great frequency in Romania, historical sources suggest that he had a significant impact on national acting and staging practices. To address this contradiction, Gianina Druta investigates the performance history of Henrik Ibsen in the Romanian theatre between 1894 and 1947, combining Digital Humanities and theatre historiography. This investigation of the European theatre culture and the way in which the foreign influences on Romanian theatre were distilled by local Ibsenites provides new insights into processes of cultural transmission. Thus, this study presents an unpredictable and uniquely European landscape that escapes essentialist definitions.