Kerényi Ferenc szerk.: Színháztudományi Szemle 27. (Budapest, 1990)
IDEGEN NYELVŰ ÖSSZEFOGLALÓK
ADRIENNE NAGY: 'BUT ART WILL LIVE FOR EVER' (The Festive Prologues of Gergely Csiky) Gergeíy Csiky (1842—1891), an outstanding author in the history of Hungarian drama and theatre, was commissioned to write festive prologues for theatre openings on several occasions. Working in Temesvár as a priest-teacher for a while, he wrote a prologue for the opening of Ferenc József Színház (Francis Joseph Theatre), a poem consisting of seven stanzas and conjuring up the tone and world of ideas of the reform era (a specific term in Hungarian history used to refer to the 1820—40s). Later, as a successful professional writer, he chose the same form when writing for the opening of the theatre in Szeged. The main message of these dramatic, festive prologues had been, and remained throughout, the close relationship of Thalia with the King (symbolizing the Nation), a message already represented in the Szeged prologue. Csiky's first prologue written in Arad, entitled The Redemption of Thalia, was a dramatic allegory elaborating the second half of The Awakening of Árpád. Csiky's prologue, like most occasional pieces during the development of Hungarian theatre, was modelled on a festive prologue by the great Hungarian poet of the first half of the 19th century, Mihály Vörösmarty, entitled The Awakening of Árpád, written for the inauguration of the Pesti Magyar Színház (Hungarian Theatre of Pest), later Nemzeti Színház (National Theatre). The 1820—40s saw the revival of the strife for civil society and national independence in Hungary. As this struggle was closely linked with the fight for the use of Hungarian language (instead of German) and for its 'home': the National Theatre, all occasional plays written later for the openings of other theatres went back to the example given by Vörösmarty, both in form and in content. The other festive prologue written by Csiky in Arad was played under the title Past and Present and, in addition to the above-mentioned recurring theme, it evoked the agony of 'the city of martyrs'. This latter also illustrated the chief requisites of the acting style of the period. The Actress was written for the 50th anniversary of the National Theatre. It is an interesting improvement upon and match of the theme of Vörösmarty' s prologue, a witty piece by Csiky, who always criticised society.
