Communication Aspects of Theatrical Performance: Between Code and Reception in Milan Begović’s „The Adventurer at the Door”

Abstract

This paper examines Milan Begović’s drama The Adventurer at the Door through a communication-oriented analysis of theatrical performance and critical reception. Departing from the understanding of theatre as a communicative event, the study approaches stage production as an interaction between performative codes, media discourse, and audience interpretation, in which meaning is produced and negotiated within the public sphere. The paper focuses on a comparative analysis of two major Croatian productions of the play: Ivica Kunčević’s staging at the Gavella Drama Theatre in Zagreb (1980) and Nenni Delmestre’s production at the Croatian National Theatre in Split (1990). Combining comparative performance analysis with an analysis of newspaper criticism, the study treats theatre reviews as forms of media-mediated public communication that actively shape reception frameworks and symbolic constructions of meaning. The analysis demonstrates that the two productions articulated fundamentally different communicative strategies. Kunčević’s staging privileged psychological introspection, ambiguity, and symbolic suggestion, encouraging an open and contemplative mode of reception. Delmestre’s production, by contrast, foregrounded expressive intensity, visual monumentality, and existential clarity, generating a more direct and affective reception framework. In both cases, critical discourse played a decisive role in framing the performances and stabilising their public interpretation. The article concludes that the meaning of The Adventurer at the Door is not generated solely on stage, but emerges within a communication triangle formed by theatrical performance, media discourse, and audience reception. By foregrounding the communicative dimensions of theatrical production and reception, the study contributes to a broader understanding of theatre as a form of public communication rather than a purely aesthetic practice.

DOI: doi:10.5671/ca.49.1.9