The Theatrical Christening of Romania

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the first theatrical representation of Romania by the actor and playwright Costache Caragiali (1815-1877), examining the  portrayal of the female protagonist of the prologue written by the said author on the occasion of the grand opening of Teatrul cel Mare (the future National  Theatre) from Bucharest, in 1852. The paper also traces the history of the allegorical representation of the nation in the Romanian theatre from the  beginning to the end of World War I, by such authors like Gheorghe Asachi (one of Caragiali’s precursors), actor Mihail Pascaly, Frédéric Damé (a writer and  journalist of French origin), Ion Luca Caragiale (Costache Caragiali’s nephew and one of Romania’s greatest writers of all times) and actor and playwright  Zaharia Bârsan.