Kilka uwag na temat czeskiej teorii teatru ………. 155

A FEW REMARKS ON CZECH THEATER THEORY

This article reflects on the place of Czech theater theory in the development of structuralist and semiological thought, with particular emphasis on Otakar Zich’s 1931 work "Estetika dramatickeho uměni."
 The author analyzes to what extent Zich’s concepts can be considered a precursor to the semiology of theater later developed by members of the Prague Linguistic Circle, particularly Jan Mukařovský. Hyvnar points to the ambivalent nature of Zich’s theory: on the one hand, it stems from the tradition of Otakar Hostinský’s aesthetics and the modernist model of dramatic theater; on the other, it contains concepts and analytical tools that enabled later structuralists to develop a semiotic approach to theater. He devotes particular attention to the relationship between the actor and the dramatic character, which semiologists interpreted as the equivalent of the relationship between the signifier and the signified. The author also discusses the category of “meaningful images” and points out numerous ambiguities and limitations in Zich’s theory, especially in the context of contemporary theatrical forms. The article demonstrates the continuity of Czech theater studies – from modernist aesthetics, through semiology and structuralism, to later communicative and performative models.