Before the national theater
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Vilnius; Teatras; Raida; Istorija; Spektakliai; Aktoriai; Dainininkai; Muzika; Kultūra; Lithuania; Vilnius; Theater; Development; History; Performances; Actors; Singers; Music; Culture.
ENThe status of the Lithuanian language, which was affected by the intricate history of the Lithuanian state, slowed the development of a national theater. The Lithuanian language was widely used on the streets as well as in churches, schools and government institutions until the middle of the 16th century. After the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth under the Union of Lublin in 1569, the use of this language in everyday life rapidly declined and Lithuanian gradually became almost extinct, having only historical and linguistic value to researchers and scholars. Yet the language continued to live on in the hearts, minds, and in the work of non-denationalized patriots. It survived even the devastating and de.moralizing ordinance of the imperial Russian rule in the second half of the 19th century, during which it was forbidden to write and speak Lithuanian in public. The rise of Lithuanian intelligentsia at the end of the same century set the foundation stone for the vision of professional Lithuanian theater. The idea underwent many transformations in the realms of amateur theater until it finally became reality in independent Lithuania. [Extract, p. 10]
