Interruptions of Tradition

The book examines the various forms of experimentation that took place on Slovenian stages in the period 1966–2006 in the field of so-called independent theatre (until the end of the 1970s it was labelled experimental theatre, in the 1980s alternative theatre, in the 1990s extra-institutional theatre production, and after 2000 it is best described as non-governmental sector production). The various inter-artistic, interdisciplinary and hybrid forms of performance have always been guided by a dialogue with different fields of art, media and technologies, while at the same time being decisively marked by a free-thinking, liberal, rebellious stance, inextricably linked to the assertion of new lifestyles. The tendency to innovate was most often established in relation to the tradition and conventions of drama theatre, that is, in the rejection of the traditional principles of aesthetics and mimetic modes of presentation.

The book is also freely available on the University of Ljubljana Press E-book portal (ebooks.uni-lj.si).

The book presentation will be accompanied by a roundtable on the conundrums of the historicisation of experimental performance practices, theatre alternatives of the past and present, the problems of independent theatre, the conditions of work in the production of the non-governmental sector, and performance visions of our contemporary times. Blaž Lukan, PhD, theatre critic, theoretician and lecturer at the University of Ljubljana Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, and Zala Dobovšek, PhD, dramaturg, critic and theatre scholar, will discuss these issues with the author of the book, Barbara Orel, PhD. The discussion will be moderated by the theatre scholar and young researcher at the University of Ljubljana Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, Jakob Ribič.