Paper short abstract:

In the paper, the author will present, through selected examples of vernacular theater performances in Slovenia, why, how and in what way communities draw material for their (re)interpreted theatre performances. And what role plays a vernacular theater in the life of a community.

Paper long abstract:

In recent decades we have witnessed the (re)invented and (re)interpreted past elements, which often include various forms of vernacular performing activities of individual communities. Awareness of the value of a custom, dance, song and other forms of performing arts, the need to restore, revive and preserve "lost" things and display memories, thus leading to their performance on stage.

In the paper, the author will present, through selected examples of vernacular theater activity in the Slovenia, how and in what way the actors draw material for their theatre performance. An important segment represents the content, since the cases are the presentation of material relating to (local) folklore, which may include knowledge of customs and traditions, dance, songs and narratives. The author will show that performing such an act affects the life of the whole community, and it also reflects on a daily basis.

Their own folklore, which is known to the whole community, thus becomes an inspiration to the creators of vernacular theatre; and since heritage is most familiar to people, they grew up with it, lived with it, therefore it is close to them for materialization through staging. It will be shown how the materialization of past events, in seeking for identity, is carried out on different levels, everything from the choice of place and time of performance, through the appropriate clothing appearance, the use of props to the spoken words themselves, i.e. a performance in dialect.