Brno zdraví Prahu! : "Sametová revoluce" v Brně z pohledu teatrologie

In their study, the authors discuss the issue of contemporary history not from the perspective of political science, general historiography or sociology but they observe the role and position of theatres and theatre artists during the student demonstrations in Brno in November and December 1989. Their text is, above all, an attempt to reconstruct these events, relying on various sources (documents, newspaper articles), participants' testimonies (so-called "oral history") and audio-visual documents (recordings of demonstrations, public discussions in theatres, publicistic theatre – Theatre On a String and HaDivadlo in Brno). The authors also observe distinctive elements of "ostension" and theatricality as social-aesthetic phenomen which accompanied, and in certain moments notably eased, the political drama itself (elements of carnival, happenings, "street theatre"). They are also concerned with the part which directly intensified collective experience and defined the atmosphere in the society (elements of the "ostension" as means of intended and unconscious collective identification, elements of ritual and catharsis).