THE DEVELOPMENT OF SLOVAK PROFESSIONAL ACTING (Experiment with MARSKA) (K vyvoju slovenskeho profesionalneho herectva (Pokus s Marskou))

The author continues to examine the development of Slovak professional acting. He takes a closer look on the situation after 1920, when the Czech theatre company operated under the name of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava and when Slovak actors were seen only gradually on the stage. Management of the theatre who needed to obtain subsidies from the Slovak towns, created in the season 1921/22 a touring ensemble, entitled Rural Dramatic Society of SNT (Marska). It had to promote the idea of the Slovak National Theatre and shows its production in the Slovak towns. The members of this ensemble were e.g. Jan Borodac, Olga Orszaghova, Andrej Bagar, their Czech colleagues Karel Balak, Jan Tumlir, Marie Pochmannova-Sykorova, Viliam Taborsky, Oto Vrba. Vladimir Jelensky, previously the member of the SNT's operetta, became the director of the ensemble. After a single season, the ensemble was dissolved for the poor financial situation and the lack of results. The actors took up civil jobs or founded engagements in other theatres. In the 1923, the Slovak National Theatre was forced almost to shut down since the Prague Ministry of Culture had conditioned the release of grants by the takeover of the theatre from the SND Cooperative to private entrepreneur. In the 1924, Oskar Nedbal as a new director of National Theatre persuaded Jan Borodac to return to the theatre and to take up responsibility for preparing the Slovak repertoire. The first phase of building up the Slovak professional theatre brought certain positives: - the first professional theatre was founded on the territory of Slovakia, which at least declared itself as a national cultural institution - several adepts of performing arts was given an opportunity to test their skills - the Slovak plays, written by earlier and contemporary authors were staged in the professional theatre.