The Black Theater ( czech černé divadlo ) is a type of theatrical production using the “black cabinet” principle - an optical effect that is achieved using ultraviolet radiation on a dark scene with a black background in order to hide actors, scenery, requisites and objects, or to emphasize them . This kind of scenic art, originated in Asia , is nowadays spread all over the world. It became one of the recognizable sights of Prague , where many theaters use this technique [1] .
Distinctive features of the black theater are the use of black curtains, a darkened stage and “black light” (ultraviolet lamps), along with fluorescent costumes to create the effect of an optical illusion . This principle of the black cabinet was used by Georges Méliès and the theater's revolutionary Konstantin Stanislavsky . The use of this technique in combination with the expressive artistry of dance, pantomime and acrobatics allows you to create a special stage effect [2] [3] [4] .
Content
Optical effect
The key principle of black theater is the inability of the human eye to see black objects on a black background [5] . This feature can be used to make any object that is not illuminated with “black light” invisible. The second optical effect used in the black theater is the illumination of fluorescent objects with ultraviolet lamps. Black light lamps emit as much light as ordinary lamps, but at a frequency invisible to humans. While most objects either absorb ultraviolet radiation , or reflect it at the same frequency, fluorescent objects absorb ultraviolet radiation, and then emit light with a longer wavelength that the human eye can capture. Using these two effects together, the directors can make the object clearly visible (as if it were in a fully lit room), or poorly visible (as if it is in a completely dark room) [6] .
History
The reception of the “black cabinet” - a game of actors dressed in black, on the stage with black decoration - has been used for thousands of years. It is known that magicians who spoke to the emperor in ancient China owned this technique [7] . The Japanese developed this technique in their Bunraku theater: in it the puppeteer wore black clothes to focus the viewer's attention on the doll (besides, in the Japanese tradition, black color symbolized non-existence) [8] .
In the modern theater, the reception was taken over by the Russian director Stanislavsky, the Frenchman Méliès, as well as various French avant-garde directors of the 1950s, but all of them resorted to accepting the “black room” only in some moments of their performances, causing any object to disappear [9 ] . The father of the black theater (the author of the modern version of the black cabinet with spotlights, ultraviolet lamps, and the use of black velvet as the best light-absorbing covering of the stage and props [10] ), the author of the name Black Theater and the creator of the first black theater in the world is Czech Jiri Srnets [11] . The first performance of his troupe took place in 1959 in Vienna . The theater gained worldwide fame after participating in the Edinburgh Theater Festival in 1962. Later, other troupes using the black classroom appeared, initiating a new theatrical direction [11] .
Performance Technique
The effect used by black theaters allows invisible performers to move visible props , turning objects into independent participants along with human actors. Consequently, objects or actors can appear suddenly and anywhere in the scene, even a few meters from the viewer. To achieve this effect, it is necessary to create an intense field of ultraviolet light covering the entire scene throughout the production. Since the intensity of light emitted by a conventional source of ultraviolet radiation is significantly reduced inversely proportional to the distance from the source, it is required that the sources of “black light” be located at a distance of no more than one meter from each other. Considering also the fact that most of the stage space is completely obscured, and difficult choreography is often used in the performances, one wrong move of the performer can spoil the whole performance. In this regard, the actors carefully work through their performances and hone the interaction with the stage space [12] .
In modern black theater, in addition to the technology of "black light", often used many complex technical devices. These devices allow actors to fly, use video projections in presentations, and create huge puppets [2] . Technical devices are an important factor in the worldwide popularity of the Black Theater. Since the semantic component of the representations is predominantly visual, most performances of the Black Theater can be understood by viewers from all over the world, regardless of language or age.
Criticism
Some people believe that non-verbal representations of black theater, understandable to foreigners and children, do not always leave room for the depth of theatrical utterance, and therefore it is not always interesting for the “non-tourist” public to attend performances several times. A large number of black theaters in Prague, according to some opinions, are focused mainly on foreigners [13] and do not represent special value for theatrical art [14] [15] .
Julius Hirsch, owner of the Prague FANTATIKA Theater :
All these years we walked in two ways. The first way is the black theater, which brings the main income, the second - the musical as the highlight of the program. Black Theater - a thing for tourists.
Original text (Czech)Celá léta jsme jeli po dvou kolejích. Jedna kolej bylo černé divadlo, které na všechno vydělává, druhá kolej byl muzikál jako bonbónek. Černé divadlo je záležitost pro turisty.
It is known that some Prague black theaters do not have enough funding for state cultural programs. Despite the high cost of performances using technical means, it is believed that theaters of this kind can pay for themselves, which is not always true [16] .
In dance
- 1971 - miniature "Flight of Talagoni" to the music of V.-A. Mozart, choreographer Leonid Yakobson .
- 2008 - FLOW ( For Love of Women ), choreographer - in the program of Diana Cherry “ Beauty in Motion ”.
- In 1989 , Pavel Shmoka troupe dancer Alexander Chigarge and Eva Asterova founded the Image Theater in Prague [17] , where they combined black theater techniques and modern dance . Since the creation of the theater in its repertoire there were 10 original performances, each of which used new lighting effects. Dynamic music and a high level of choreography here are combined with elements of abstract poetics [18] ; often, viewers are made part of performances.
Notes
- Full list of black theaters in Prague, Czech Republic ( czech. )
- ↑ 1 2 DEVELOPMENT. TA FANTASTIKA
- ↑ BLACK THEATER AS A GENRE. - Black Theater TAFANTASTIKA Neopr (Inaccessible link) . The appeal date is March 29, 2016. Archived April 15, 2016.
- ↑ Bozena Belenik: Welcome to the Black Theater, to the kingdom of light and music - Lithuanian Courier
- ↑ Q & A: Why does a black light make objects glow? - Department of Physics. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- ↑ The principle of the black theater - Image Theater, Prague.
- ↑ About Us Archive dated March 3, 2016 on Wayback Machine - National Black Light Theater Prague
- ↑ Kuzhel Yu. L. Doll requires a game - the Association of Japanologists. Japanstudies.ru
- ↑ DEVELOPMENT. TAFANTASTIKA
- ↑ Crafty shoes and predatory suitcases - In the world of circus and variety
- ↑ 1 2 History - BLACK LIGHT THEATER SRNEC
- ↑ Working with Black Light Effects
- ↑ Tomáš Kovařík. VSTUPENKY DO ČERNÉHO DIVADLA
- “Aspects of Alice: It's not a Black Light Theater”
- ↑ Černé divadlo Jiřího Srnce - Štěpán & Romča
- ↑ Ta Fantastika končí s muzikály. Je prý diskriminovaná - Aktuálně.cz
- ↑ Theater “Image”
- ↑ Je libo naklonovat jednoduchý humor či profesionální černé divadlo? - iDNES.cz Zprávy / Kultura