The Summer Theatre in Bratislava: Dangerous Laughter and the Disciplining of Urban Popular Culture in the Late 18th Century

Abstract

The present study traces the history of Summer Theatre in Bratislava, a matter long overlooked in current research, through a source-based and comparative approach enabling the art form to be viewed as a space of both popular culture and social control. In a time when Enlightenment thinking saw theatre as a tool for educating the populace and building loyalty to the regime, theatre for non-elites gradually became a form of entertainment no longer tolerated. The sensitivity of authorities to any hints of prohibited expressions or ridicule is evident in the sources. Based on surviving programmes, this paper asks important questions regarding the practice and the content of Summer Theatre performances, and views this theatre not only as part of urban popular culture and the early history of the entertainment industry, but also as a space for free satire and open criticism of the elites, as well as an artistic reflection of public discontent and the general atmosphere of society.