Amateur traditions

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Mažoji Lietuva; Teatras; Mėgėjų teatras; Spektakliai; Dramaturgija; Istorinės dramos; Atlikėjai; Draugijos; Tautinė kultūra; Tautiniai judėjimai; Lithuania; Lithuania Minor; Theater; Amateur theater; Performances; Dramaturgy; Historical dramas; Performers; Societies; National culture; National movements.

ENThe beginnings of theater in Lithuanian were inspired by the spirit of the fight for the freedom of national culture; this resembled the events that had previously taken place in the rest of Europe, where theater development was tied to national-cultural resistance. The main difference between theater development in European countries and in Lithuania was that in the latter region the performances had to be held in secret. Plays were performed in remote villages and in places that were not so vigilantly observed by the Russian government. At the dawn of the 20th century the Lithuanian village was an oasis of Lithuanian theater. Yet it must be highlighted that the performances were not a product of rural culture: the penetration of city culture into the safe village territory was what allowed the areas to become centers of theater culture. The underground theater performances were organized by highly educated people who came from urban areas - mostly social figures who had studied abroad or students who came to the countryside for vacation. [Extract, p. 41-42]