HANNA VESELOVS’KA
I was assigned to write about the socialist-realist epoch in
art for the book 20th Century Ukrainian Theatre. Having
been born during the “thaw” of the 1960s, I did not have the
opportunity to see true stage socialist-realism, designed to
impress with its colorful decorations, monumentalism, streamlined
composition and clarity of idea. 1970s stages were occupied
by an anemic grandchild of the “grand Stalin style”, fearful
and recast. This did not prevent Soviet ideologues from continuing
to declare socialist-realism influential, functional, and aesthetically
accomplished. Today, with the relegation of totalitarian aesthetic
practice to the past, and with its memoirization still far off,
I wanted to reveal its conundrums: grandness and profanity,
pathos and Ignobleness, heroism and betrayal.
Theatre critic, candidate in art scholarship, lecturer. Graduated
from the theatre scholarship faculty of the I. Karpenko-Karyi
Institute of Theatre Arts. Employed by the Les’ Kurbas Centre
since 2000. Authored the chapter entitled “Method as Style,
and Style as Method: Formal Searches in the Theory and Practice
of the Socialist-Realist Age (1930-1950) in the joint 20th
Century Ukrainian Theatre project. Holds wide-ranging research
interests. Studies include: “The Protestant and Orthodox Baroque
in 17th-18th Century Slavic Theatre”, “Baroque Aesthetics in
Slavic Folklore, Art, and National Theatre”, “Theatrical Expressionism
in Ukraine: Genesis and Sources”, “Meyerhold’s Enterprise in
Kharkiv”, “Serf Theatre in Ukraine”, “Novel Searches in Kyivan
Theatres, 1918-1919”. A frequent participant of pan-Ukrainian
and international conferences and symposia. Participated in
international Slavists’ conferences in Bratislava and Krakow.
Read papers at international Ukrainianists’ congresses in Kyiv,
Kharkiv, and Odessa. Publishes in the journals Suchasnist’,
Ukrains’kyi Teatr, Kino-Teatr, and others. Member of the
annual “Kyivs’ka Pektoral’” theatrical awards panel of experts.
Teaches “Introduction to Theatre Criticism” and “The History
of Ukrainian Dramatic Art” to theatre-criticism students at
the KSITA, and has also developed and taught a course entitled
“Les’ Kurbas’s Plays: a View to World Theatre” for VIAT students.
Author of the manuscript Theatrical Intersections in Kyiv
1900-1920, which she dreams of publishing.
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