Divadelní aktivity českého exilu v Austrálii, 1948–1989

The Czechs and Slovaks who immigrated into Australia after the Second World War in several exile waves created several autonomous centers of Czechoslovak community in exile. The study goes into the history of amateur theatricals in Australia from 1948 to 1989, namely in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, and Perth. Theater played an important role in their life in exile because of social, linguistic and patriotic reasons. The literary and artistic orientation of particular theatrical groups and their evolution from the early 1950s to 1980s are analyzed. The analysis includes also the discussions on the character of theatrical activities between the post-February and the post-August waves of immigrants where the traditional patriotic view of theater was confronted with the new and modern forms of theatrical art.