Illustrated World Biographical Encyclopedia -- Dramatist

Author: Qisai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: The concepts of "World Theatre" and "World Dramatist" can be understood in several ways. The addition of "World" can refer to these plays being performed on stages in many countries around the world. We can interpret "world-class theatre" as plays that have been performed multiple times after their creation, enduring over time and becoming part of the world's cultural heritage. Therefore, a "world-class dramatist" refers to the person who created such plays. Of course, there is another way to understand it. Theatre is a form of literature. Its existence and value need to be tested and verified in the theatre—in other words, on stage and before the audience. This duality gives theatre an important characteristic—action. Action, as the free decision of a theatrical character, is a purposeful, action-based response to a specific problem in a specific situation. Thus, we can view a "world dramatist" as someone who has created certain methods and approaches that have influenced the development of this genre—drama, which we call "" in Czech. This book is dedicated to understanding the worldliness of dramatists from this perspective, rather than based on the number and frequency of their plays being performed on the world stage. Some may have different opinions on this criterion and the list of dramatists selected based on it. However, we believe that the dramatists selected in this book are representative and sufficient to showcase the development of world theatre—primarily referring to European and later Western cultural theatre.