repertoár

Focusing on the Municipal Theatre in Pressburg in 1886–1920
The establishment and development of the Municipal Theatre in Pressburg in the period 1886–1920 was closely linked with the cultural and social development of the city in the period following the Austrian-Hungarian Compromise in 1867. The theatre was built by Pressburg townsmen, at that time the rising stratum of the population. It offered them the space for the demonstration of their social status, and, most of all, entertainment and relaxation. The edifice of the theatre was owned by the city, which used to rent it to German and Hungarian theatre directors and their companies. The theatre was run this way until 1920, when the political situation resulted in a change, and regular performances of Czech, and later also Slovak artists started to take place in the theatre. The repertoire of the Municipal Theatre was that of a provincial theatre of the period. Its wide scope had to address the biggest part of population, as it had to secure the income for the director as well as the whole theatre ensemble. Helped by the closeness of Vienna and due to local patriotism of the city residents, the Pressburg Municipal Theatre evolved into the leading scene among the provincial theatres in Hungary.