Aleksandar "Aleksa" Bačvanski ( Timișoara,

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

, 1832 —

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

, 26 March 1881) was a Serbian actor and theater director. He was an interesting personality in the history of the modern Serbian theatre with an international career but tragic personal and artistic fate. He brought

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

to the art of the theatre.

Biography

Aleksa Bačvanski graduated from the gymnasium in Sremski Karlovci and continued his education in Szeged in 1846. After the defeat of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 in which he participated as a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

student, he established an

amateur theater Amateur theatre, also known as amateur dramatics, is theatre performed by amateur actors and singers. Amateur theatre groups may stage plays, revues, musicals, light opera, pantomime or variety shows, and do so for the social activity as well as ...

in Szeged. After graduating from the city's Lyceum he entered the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

Pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

and Kecskemét. His love for theater led him to quit his job and join a Hungarian

touring theatre Touring theatre is independent travelling theatre that is presented at a different location in each city. A touring theatre is produced by a theater company, called the producing entity, often based in one location, and sold, as a show, by a bookin ...

, in which he developed into a character actor. He played at Pest using the theatrical name of Varhidi. In Pest, the painter Stevan Todorović hired him as a member of the

National Theater in Belgrade The National Theatre ( sr-cyr, Народно позориште, Narodno pozorište) is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia. Founded in the later half of the 19th century, it is located on the Republic Square, at the corner of Vasina and Fra ...

. In addition to acting, he distinguished himself as a master of directing, which he raised to an enviable height, preparing for the work of Adam Mandrović of Dubravka fame,

Miloš Cvetić Miloš Cvetić (1845-1905) was a Serbian actor and writer. His contemporaries were Serbian actors Aleksa Bačvanski, Milka Grgurova-Aleksić, Pera Dobrinović and Toša Jovanović. He was the director and actor of the Serbian National Theater ...

, Vela Nigrin, Milka Grgurova,

Pera Dobrinović Petar "Pera" Dobrinović ( sr-cyr, Петар „Пера“ Добриновић; 1853–1923) was a Serbian actor and director at the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neu ...

, Milorad Gavrilovic, and

Toša Jovanović Todor "Toša" Jovanović (June 2, 1845 – February 17, 1893) was a Serbian actor of the 19th century. He was a member of Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and National Theatre in Belgrade. He was famous for his actings of characters of love ...

. He was a master at directing epic scenes. He stopped directing in 1874, suffering from eye disease after an unfortunate fall and concussion. Together with the writer and founder of the National Theater,

Jovan Đorđević Jovan Đorđević (13 November 1826 – 9 April 1900) was a Serbian writer, dramatist, Minister of Education and the co-founder of the Novi Sad Serbian National Theatre in 1861, the National Theatre in Belgrade in 1868 and the Academy of Dramatic ...

, he founded and managed the first modern School of Acting in 1870. As an actor, he was representative of the character's personality and stands out with realistic suggestive play. His main roles were:

Shylock Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''The Merchant of Venice'' (c. 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity form the climax of the ...

(

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

), Harpagon (

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's The Miser),

Đurađ Branković Đurađ Branković (; sr-cyr, Ђурађ Бранковић; hu, Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) was the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456. He was one of the last Serbian medieval rulers. He was a participant in the battle of Anka ...

(''Obernik Đurađ Branković''), Louis XI ( Casimir Delavigne's Louis XI) and others in which he plays after a serious illness when he became blind. He bid farewell to the Belgrade audience on 25 March 1881 with the role of

Abbé Faria Abbé Faria (), or Abbé (Abbot) (born José Custódio de Faria; 31 May 1756 – 20 September 1819), was a Luso- Goan Catholic monk who was one of the pioneers of the scientific study of hypnotism, following on from the work of Franz Mesmer ...

(

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (french: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (''père'') completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers''. Li ...

). Shortly after the play, Bačvanski died. "In the history of Serbian theater, he represents one of the most tragic figures".Проф Живојин Петровић у Енциклопедији Југославије ЈЛЗ 1980. том 1 стр. 413.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacvanski, Aleksa Actors from Timișoara 19th-century Serbian actors

Biography

See also

References