Η ΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΙΑ ΘΕΣΗΣ ΣΚΗΝΟΘΕΤΗ ΣΤΟ «ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ ΘΕΑΤΡΟΝ» (1898-1902)

Abstract

The article undertakes the projection of stage-director's employment at the Royal Theatre of Athens according to the regulations of the future theatre, arranged between 1898-1902. It is found out at first, that the direction of the theatre attempted the import of the stage-director's employment of the German court theatres of 19th century («Regisseur»), i.e. not the type of the modern director («metteur en scène»), who emerged at the end of the century in the European stage, but of his immediate forerunner; secondly, that the above mentioned attempt formed only a small part of a much greater plan of the Court, which aimed at a radical modernization of the Greek theatre. Indeed, the purpose was not the transportation of the stage-director's office, but of the whole institution of the «Hoftheater». Furthermore, the post appeared for the first time (since the art of staging in the kingdom was at its prehistoric era) and confronted difficulties which reduced its authority, whilst the press remained clearly indifferent to it. The transplantation dealt with problems in translation, since the Greek language of that period was unable to describe the complicated German term «Regisseur» with a word which could signify the proceedings both of stage arrangement and direction of the actors. Finally, a general unreadiness in the reception of the new post is demonstrated also by its fulfillment with Thomas Oeconomou, the first stage-director of the royal company. Even though he appeared at first as an excellent coincidence, since he was a Greek artist who had learned the stagecraft in Germany, he finally resigned under bad circumstances at 1906 and worked mainly as an actor in the following years. Naturally, the failure of the above attempted import doesn't reduce at all its great historical importance, since it arose for the first time a question of stage-direction in the Greek theatre; however, this doesn't mean that it is equivalent to the birth of stagedirector in Greece.