THE FUNCTIONING OF SCENOGRAPHY IN THE UKRAINIAN PROTOTHEATER

During the period of the full-scale war, the process of self-identification of Ukrainians as a nation intensified, therefore intereSt in one’s own cultural roots and spiritual heritage is conStantly growing. At the same time, modern Ukrainian art, in particular the art of scenography, is characterized by the search for new perspectives and original methods of embodying the synthesis of arts, which in part manifeSts itself as an echo of the original integrity of all forms of consciousness, all forms of self-expression of the Ukrainian proto-theatre. Material attributes of proto-theatrical actions and rites become a source of inspiration for modern scenographers. After all, it was in those ancient times that the foundations of scenography, as a separate type of fine art, were laid and its main functions were formed. Therefore, it is appropriate to consider the characteristic features of the visual-figurative component of ancient Ukrainian actions in the context of their content, syncretic character and influence on the modern art of scenography. The author of the article claims that there were two types of folk performances in the Ukrainian proto-theatre: ritual and game. Proto-theatrical actions were synthetic and the visual-figurative series was an integral part of them along with speech, music, dance, etc. The visual-figurative series of proto-theatrical actions can be characterized as: not separated from other components, functional and metaphorical. The main function of the object-coStume world of ancient rituals was the character function, which over time gave way to the game function. The proto-theatre formed the firSt scenographic syStem in the hiStory of the theatre – game scenography, which later dominated the buffoon theatre and partially the Ukrainian school theatre.