The Drama Society in Ljubljana (founded in 1867) was the initiator of the Slovenian theater of the modern age. In its development from 1867 to 1920 it negotiated a fifty-year long road through the period of institutionalization and professionalization of the Slovenian theatre, finishing it in 1920 with the advent of a new development stage; ie, Europeanisation (1920–1945). The exhibition is focused on the first fifty years of the Drama Society's activity, shedding light on the important and decisive milestones of its development. Before the first milestone there was the general atmosphere in the beginning of the second half of the 19th century among the Slovenian intellectuals which indicated that Slovenes needed their own national theater. This contextual development can be traced back to the dialogue between the father and the son in Trubar's Abecedarium, the theater of Jesuits and Capuchins, to Linhart followed by Drabosnjak, and parallel to this the touring Innsbruck comedians, Italian opera singers and 100 years of German theater tradition in this territory (established in 1765). A great example was set by Anton Tomaž Linhart as the pioneer of the Slovenian theater of the modern era and the early predecessor of the Drama Society. All these elements, together with general theatrical examples, the influences of time (observed in larger nations) and the Spring of Nations (1848) fostered among Slovenes the awareness of the necessity of having a national theater. The exhibition provides evidence and arguments for twelve significant progressive phenomena in the development of the Drama Society – from the rudimentary origins of the Society during Metternich and Bach absolutism (1848 to 1851) to the formation of the Slovenian theater as a public institution and the beginning of its Europeanisation (1920).
The illustration material includes manuscripts, portraits of meritorious originators of the Drama Society and the theater people of the time, theater reviews, posters and flyers, old photographs and postcards, relevant books of that time, models of two most important theaters, etc. The exhibits whose property and keeping is not specified come from the fund of the Slovenian Theater Institute.
The exhibition on the 150th anniversary of the Drama Society in Ljubljana, 23 March 2017–10 January 2018
Author: Štefan Vevar
Graphic design and layout: Maja Gspan
Digitization: Dušan Nelec
Translation: Melita Silic
Language editing: Andraž Polončič Ruparčič and Melita Silič
Cooperating exhibition experts: Mojca Jan Zoran, Sandra Jenko, Katarina Kocijančič and Tea Rogelj
Production: Slovenian Theater Institute
Organization: Mojca Jan Zoran
The exhibition was made possible thanks to: Archives of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana City Theatre, National and university library National and university library, Mihael Čepeljnik, Manja Gatalo, Amadea Karin Ilic and Branko Radulovič
The exhibition was funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.
