Czech Theatre Today.cz 2010/N-1

The newsletter for those interested in the world of Czech Theatre and Dance. Published by the Arts and Theatre Institute in Prague

DRAMA

The Man Without a Past

They are famous movies of the 1960s Czech film school, successful comedies but also ambitious art films by widely popular directors like Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves, The Boss of It All, The Idiots, Dogville) as well as Fellini's Orchestra Rehearsal or Pedro Almódovar's All About My Mother. These stagings based on adaptation of a film are not usually on the same level like famous 1990s Pitínský's staging of Fellini's 8 1/2. This performance was unique because of its adaptation of the film at that time, exceptionally imaginative director's vision and the way how Pitínský used purely theatre means.More

Achievements of the Comedy Theatre

Nevertheless it was almost dissolved at the end of last year because of the unclear and poorly organized grant system of the capital city of Prague. Despite the fact that the ensemble worked in difficult economical conditions during the second half of last year, its stagings confirmed its exceptional position in Czech theatre again.More

DANCE & BALLET

New Scene

A controversial building finished in 1983 according to the project by Karel Prager who was a prominent architect at that time is situated right next to the Neo-Romantic building of the National Theatre. On the one hand, it is perceived as an architectonic sore of socialist architecture, on the other hand, there is its phenomenon.More

Festivals

New Europe Festival 2009 and Jarmila Jeřábková Award.More

Dance

This is the reason why we mention two birthday festivals – Nanohach company and VerTe Dance company celebrated 5 years of their existence and they used this occasion for retrospective shows of their repertoires and many other surprising events.More

OPERA & MUSICAL THEATRE

The National Theatre in Prague celebrated Bohuslav Martinů

On the occasion of Bohuslav Martinů's double anniversary and project Martinů Revisited, the opera company of the National Theatre in Prague performed The Miracle of Mary as the first premiere of the 2009/2010 season. This piece from the 1930s ranks among Martinů's works inspired from the past and Czech and Moravian music folklore in the field of themes and a music form. This piece from the 1930s ranks among Martinů's works inspired from the past and Czech and Moravian music folklore in the field of themes and a music form.More

What are Czech opera theatres and how to stage Bohuslav Martinů?

There are ten permanent opera companies in the Czech Republic. One opera house covers about one million inhabitants; there are even two opera houses in Prague with one million inhabitants. The opera network is therefore very dense.More

EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE / NEW FORMS

Ioana Mona Popovici about silence and oblivion

The collaboration of choreographer Ioana Mona Popovici and clownery students in Brno gave a birth to a disturbing staging in Brno. About bodies – automats, people without emotions and general amnesia.More

Švejda In Plastic

A viewer enters the auditory of the Alfred ve dvoře theatre and s/he can hear whiffing round the corner. A victim gets scared and screams but s/he laughs in the end. Perfromer Vojta Švejda tunes viewers who have come to see his performance Albert's Fear.More

Experiment Not Only With a Word

Five new notable stagings have appeared during a three-month period at the turn of 2009 and 2010. Two of them – Siphon (with the premiere in Alfred ve dvoře in Prague) by Vojta Švejda and Jan Kalivoda and The Amnesic Days of the Polar Nights by Ioana Mona Popovici (with the premiere in the Marta Theatre Studio of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts) are analyzed in separate reviews.More

PUPPET THEATRE

My name is Blond. James Blond

My name is Blond. James Blond, says a pretty guy with sharply cut features, blond quiff and a gun in his hand. He disposes of a bomb, hired killers in black hoods and he survives explosion of gas pipes. Not a single muscle moves in his face – because he is made of wood. Transposition of a classic Bond story was staged right before Christmas in the Alfa Theatre, Pilsen. The clever and lovely parody-play James Blond was written by Vítek Peřina and directed by Tomáš Dvořák.More

Czech Puppet News I - 2010

The Lampion Theatre (formerly known as the Central Bohemian Puppet Theatre) has already celebrated its 60th birthday; the Naive Theatre Liberec will have its birthday on 20th February (with the premiere of new staging "Neklan" inspired by old Czech legends) and Prague Minor Theatre will celebrate on 26th February with a gala-performance "Klapzuba's Eleven" with the whole ensemble.More

PRAGUE QUADRENNIAL NEWS

12th Prague Quadrennial of Perfomance Design and Space /PQ/

The time and place have been set for the next Prague Quadrennial of Perfomance Design and Space (PQ). The 12th PQ will take place from June 16th to June 26th, 2011 in several different central areas of Prague. The Section of Countries and Regions and the Student Section will take place in the National Gallery-Veletrzni Palace. The Architecture Section will take place in the Prague Crossroads-Saint Anne´s Church.More

OTHER NEWS OF THE ARTS & THEATRE ISNTITUTE

Havel's Leaving is heading to Soul

Three performances will take place on the stage of the top cultural institution LG Arts Center that ranks among the leading artistic centres in the world with its capacity and technical equipment. More

From the World of Czech Classic

Two significant but controversial premieres have taken place at Czech ballet scene. The first one is original choreography Faun by Libor Vaculík and librettist Zdeněk Prokeš staged in the National Theatre; the second one is Youri Vámos' Sleeping Beauty the choreographer staged in the State Opera.More

Otomar Krejča – a theatremaker whose name overreached the border of the Czech Republic

Significant theatre director Otomar Krejča died on 6th November 2009 in the age of 87.More

Exhibition Josef Svoboda – Czech Stage Designer With a World-Known Name in Buenos Aires

The exhibition took place from 7th till 25th October and it had a great reception. Helena Albertová, the curator of the exhibition, says: "The name of the exhibition of Josef Svoboda's stage design work "Czech Stage Designer With a World-Known Name" is neither a metaphor, nor an exaggeration.More

Theatre and Revolution: exhibition – discussion – conference – theatre

The project of the Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) dedicated to this topic has the aim to return the topic theatre as a polis to professional debates.More

Contributors:

Jana Navrátová, Roman Vašek: Dance
Kamila Černá, Jan Kerbr: Theatre / Drama Kateřina Řeháková, Barbora Dolejšová: Opera & Musical Theatre
Nina Malíková, Kateřina Lešková, Marie Reslová - Dolenská: Puppet Theatre Jana Bohutínská: Experimental & New Forms Theatre Nathalie Frank: Prague Quadrennial
Martina Černá: News of ATI

theatre.cz bulletin is published four times annually, ©Arts and Theatre Institute - Prague, 2010.

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