RESEARCH

UL AGRFT Research Group

A research group affiliated to the UL AGRFT Theatre and Film Studies Centre is led by Professor Barbara Orel. It conducts research in the fields of theatre, film and interart studies.  

Since 2009, the UL AGRFT programme group has been involved in research programme Theatre and Interart Studies (supported by the Slovenian Research Agency).  

The research programme Theatre and Interart Studies carries out core studies in the field of Slovenian arts, especially theatre, fine arts and music. Its significance, however, extends beyond that into the broader field of humanities. The programme focuses on interdisciplinary studies of the fields in-between individual artistic disciplines, with the emphasis on their connections established in theatre and performing arts. In exploring historical and contemporary (trans)art phenomena, special attention is paid to the development of new methodologies and conceptual tools for their interpretation. By employing the inter- or transdisciplinary methodological approaches that extend traditional academic disciplines, the research programme connects many fields, views and approaches to art theory that are often hermetically closed. The aim of the programme is to bridge the gap between (art) theory and practice and to unify them into an integrative field of research and interpretation of the world around us.

The programme group consists of researchers of three arts academies of the University of Ljubljana: the Academy of Theatre, Film, Radio and Television, the Academy of Music, and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design. They are joined by scholars of literature, art history, anthropology and sociology. The involvement of the group members in international research, artistic and other networks provides testing grounds for the results in intercultural and international perspectives. Members of the group (since 2018) are: Dr Barbara Orel, Dr Darja Koter, Nika Leskovšek, Dr Blaž Lukan, Dr Aldo Milohnić, Dr Katarina Podbevšek, Dr Maja Šorli, Dr Tomaž Toporišič, Dr Gašper Troha and Dr Nadja Zgonik.

In the period from 2009 to 2012, the studies of (inter)art phenomena filled numerous gaps in the history of Slovenian arts and enabled new insights into understanding their development, especially that of the arts of the 20th and 21st centuries.

In the period from 2013 to 2017, the programme’s research studies are focused on Slovenian arts as co-shapers of social and intercultural exchanges. The intertwining of different cultures in the Slovenian space poses an eminent research question, as Slovenia is located at the crossroads of Slavic, Germanic and Romanic cultures and at the same time forms a bridge between the East and the West.

Publications:

• Katarina Podbevšek, Nina Žavbi (eds.): Govor v pedagoški praksi [Speech in Education Practices]

The central topic area examined in the scientific monograph Speech in Pedagogical Practices is spoken language as a learning content in the education system (including kindergarten, primary and secondary schools as well as universities and extracurricular education). The impetus for reflection on this topic evolved at four symposia on speech organized by the research group at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in 2000, 2006, 2013, and 2019. It was observed that the participants often expressed their doubts on adequate and satisfactory attention devoted to speech in primary and secondary schools, and the ways of assessing oral expression at the secondary school leaving exam (matura).

The scientific monograph includes articles by 33 Slovenian and foreign authors dealing with different views on speech pedagogy and critical evaluation of curricula and study programmes. It is intended for professional readers (facilitators and speech education planners) and members of general public who are aware that speech is not only a means of communication, but an important part of one’s rational and irrational being that defines one’s private and social role. The latter, in particular, is established also with regard to the individual’s speech self-confidence in public speaking situations. Therefore, systematic and high-quality teaching of speech in schools is a necessity that can contribute significantly to the improvement of speech culture in general.

Issued by the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, published by Ljubljana University Press, Faculty of Arts, Ljubljana, 2019.

https://e-knjige.ff.uni-lj.si/znanstvena-zalozba/catalog/view/185/283/4891-1

• Štefan Vevar, Barbara Orel (eds.): Začetki in dosežki slovenskega gledališča moderne dobe : ob 150-letnici ustanovitve Dramatičnega društva v Ljubljani. [The Beginnings and Achievements of the Slovenian Theatre of Modern Times: The 150th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Drama Society in Ljubljana]

The founding of the Dramatic Society in Ljubljana in 1867 is considered the beginning of organised theatre activities in Slovenia and their professionalization. The scientific monograph which was published to mark the 150th anniversary of this momentous event in the history of Slovenian theatre is a comprehensive presentation of the Dramatic Society’s activities since its foundation in 1867 until the cessation of its operation in 1948. The study which is based on archival sources that are kept by the Slovenian Theatre Institute and the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia elaborates on the significance of the Dramatic Society for the development of Slovenian drama, theatre, opera and ballet art. Researchers of performing arts, literature, stage speech, fine arts, music, cultural and art history examine thoroughly the role of the Society in the rise of professionalization and Europeanization of Slovenian theatre. They also shed new light on well-established historical interpretations and highlight the importance of theatre, contributing significantly to the formation of Slovenian national consciousness. The study adds a key component to the history of Slovenian theatre in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, and elaborates on the importance of the Dramatic Society for the cultural history of the Slovenian nation.

A joint publication issued by Slovenian Theatre Institute and the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, published by Slovenian Theatre Institute, Ljubljana, 2017.

• Gašper Troha: Ujetniki svobode: slovenska dramatika in družba med letoma 1943 in 1990 [Prisoners of Freedom: Slovenian drama and society between 1943 and 1990]

Employing the methods of New Historicism and empirical literary studies, Gašper Troha systematically investigates the corpus of Slovenian plays written in the 1943–1990 period, and examines them in regard to their relationship to the authorities. The research on complex relationships between drama, theatre, the authorities and the public is focused on the following issue: why did the socialist authorities allow staging of plays that criticized the authorities, and even awarded them (at festivals and elsewhere). Using Slavoj Žižek’s theses on the strengthening of social ties between the authorities and the people, the author sets up a model of a fragile balance between the aforementioned players, each of whom has completely different motivations for entering into these relationships. In addition, the scientific monograph provides a historical overview of Slovenian drama of the 2nd half of the 20th century, providing its genre typology and examining its social impact, based on empirical data on theatre audiences. The author interprets thriving playwriting of the period in reference to a general Slovenian cultural history, and to the development of European and world literature and Slovenian theatre. The scientific monograph presents a sociological analysis of Slovenian drama and theatre in the second half of the 20th century, extending its conclusions in the field of literary and theatre studies, but also disseminating them to other fields of the humanities (history, sociology of culture).

A joint publication issued by Aristej Publishing House and the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, published by Aristej Publishing House, Maribor, 2015. Bibliographical references (COBISS.SI ID): 85277185

• Maja Šorli: Slovenska postdramska pomlad [Slovenian Postdramatic Spring]

Maja Šorli uses the notion of Slovenian postdramatic spring to denote the peak period of postdramatic theatre in the Slovenian performing arts of the 1990s. The scientific monograph presents and critically analyses the term postdramatic theatre (Hans-Thies Lehmann), studying its characteristics on representative examples by Slovenian authors and exploring the influence of their aesthetics upon the development of direction and acting. Focus is placed upon the overlooked performance practices of the period and discusses them in the context of production conditions, cultural policies and the role of art in society.

Published by Mestno gledališče ljubljansko, Ljubljana, 2014.

• Katarina Podbevšek, Nina Žavbi Milojević (eds.): Govor med znanostjo in umetnostjo [Speech between Science and Art]

Govor med znanostjo in umetnostjo (Speech between Science and Art) is the first monograph in Slovenia that presents spoken language as a subject of artistic inquiry and scientific research. Interdisciplinary speech studies and the practitioners’ reflections on their own speech-based creative acts offer a comprehensive insight into the specifics of artistic speech, blurring the lines between theory and practice. The monograph’s central topic is stage speech in contemporary theatre (including the opera, puppet theatre, improvisational theatre, contemporary dance) and in other media (radio, TV and film). In addition, several articles in the monograph deal with other speech practices (e.g. storytelling) and speech training.

• Blaž Lukan: Performativne pisave [Performative Gestures]

The monograph deals with heterogeneous forms of the performative and the theatrical in contemporary performing arts, e.g. “new” performance art, the archives as performance, performative reconstruction, body art, puppet and street theatre. It attempts to capture them in view of their continuous dynamics between theoretical concepts and subsequent artistic realizations in representative works by Slovenian authors. While examining their characteristics, the monograph deals with relevant issues concerning their reflection within the so-called new criticism.

Issued by Aristej Publishing House and University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, published by Aristej Publishing House, Maribor, 2013.

• Barbara Orel, Maja Šorli, Gašper Troha (eds.): Hibridni prostori umetnosti [Hybrid Spaces of Art]

This joint monograph by the research group members lists and underlines key shifts and innovations in Slovenian theatre and performing arts since 1990 that have emerged as a result of hybridity processes. The hybrid spaces at the intersections of various arts, media and scientific disciplines are investigated as an open territory of possibilities where the heterogeneous artistic practices enter into unexpected relationships with the existing aesthetic codes, social and cultural-political circumstances and economic interests.

Issued by University of Ljubljana, Academy for Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, published by Maska, Institute for Publishing, Production and Education, Ljubljana, 2012.

• Blaž Lukan, Primož Jesenko (eds.): Svobodne roke: antologija teoretske misli o slovenskem gledališču 1899‒1979 [Free Hands. The Anthology of Theory Refections on the Slovenian Theatre 1899–1979]

The anthology contains theoretical texts written about Slovenian theatre between 1899 and 1979 that until now have been dispersed in various periodical publications. The selected reflections of 33 authors (theatre theorists, historians, dramatists and other creators, among them, directors, actors and set designers) reveal forgotten thought about Slovenian theatre, integrate it anew and, in doing so, point the way to the studying of its influence on – past and present – theatre practices.

Issued by the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, published by Maska, Institute for Publishing, Production and Education, Ljubljana, 2012.

• Darja Koter: Slovenska glasba [Slovenian Music]

Darja Koter’s monographs (Slovenska glasba 1848-1918 and Slovenska glasba 1918-1991) bring together an in-depth comprehensive historical survey of Slovenian music between 1918 and 1991. They present the role of music within the cultural and political histories of Slovenians and its embeddedness in a broader European cultural sphere. They provide study analyses of individual composer bodies of work, composition schools and stylistic movements. In addition, they illuminate the role of institutions, teaching practices and organizations that have co-shaped their development. The interdisciplinary approach provides an insight into Slovenian artistic and cultural historical achievements of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Published by Študentska založba, Ljubljana, 2012.

• Gledališki terminološki slovar

Created in collaboration with the Section for Terminological Dictionaries of the Fran Ramovš Institute for the Slovenian Language, the online Theatre Terminology Dictionary provides a revised and expanded edition of the first original Slovenian explanatory, normative and multi-lingual dictionary of theatre terms. The 2007 edition included English and French equivalents, while the online version contains Italian and German ones as well. Its translation component and online availability have rendered the dictionary much more useful and widely accessible to international users. The dictionary was co-edited by the research group members Barbara Sušec Michieli and Katarina Podbevšek.

Published by Inštitut za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, Sekcija za terminološke slovarje, Ljubljana, 2011.

http://bos.zrc-sazu.si/c/term/gledaliski/index.html

• Barbara Sušec Michieli, Blaž Lukan, Maja Šorli (eds.): Dinamika sprememb v slovenskem gledališču 20. stoletja [Dynamics of change in the 20th Century Slovenian Theatre]

The monograph explores the dynamics of change in Slovenian theatre of the 20th century in an interdisciplinary way. It is mainly focused on the processes of forming and breaking of artistic and social norms, and on the issue of historical continuity. The monograph presents many topics that have been neglected so far, such as contemporary dance, performance art, amateur theatre, avant-garde experiments, the audience etc. In addition, it also presents a long overdue analysis and contextualisation of numerous phenomena in the theatre after 1970 that have not been thoroughly studied and researched.

Issued by the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, published by Maska, Institute for Publishing, Production and Education, Ljubljana, 2010.

• Nadja Zgonik: Študije iz slovenskega modernizma po letu 1945

Nadja Zgonik’s book provides critical monograph studies and reinterpretations of Slovenian modernist painters in the period between 1945 up to the transition into postmodernism. Her studies fill a theoretical gap in this field, and include a wide range of modernist positions ranging from a pro-Western following of popular lyrical abstraction, existentialist figuration, art informel and pop art to regionalist tendencies. Special attention is paid to the intertwinement of various artistic forms.

Issued and published by Raziskovalni inštitut Akademije za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje, Ljubljana, 2010.

Projects

• Dynamics of Change in Slovene 20th Century Theatre – Processes of Forming and Overcoming Boundaries in Art, Society and Culture (2007–2009), with the support of the Slovene Research Agency (ARRS).
• More information on this project: sicris
• Fundamental Research into Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Slovenia (2000–2003)
• Theoretical and Informational Blueprints for Slovene Theatre History (1998–2003), with the support of the Slovene Research Agency
• Historic Transformations in the Formation of National Theatres (1994–1996)
• Framing Shots in Film Photography (1994–1996)