Czech Theatre Today.cz N-1/2012

Celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Kylián's videotheque, Dance movies originated in Prague, The ATI is a member of the Eastern European Performing Arts Platform, Beyond Everydayness: a unique book mapping theatre architecture in Central Europe has been published, MARIONNETTES AN ZERO – an exhibition of Czech puppetry at the World Festival of Puppet Theatre in France

Dance & Ballet

Competition: the best ballet performance in three years

One of the main missions of the Dance Association of the Czech Republic is organization of ballet competitions. The international interpretation competition (with one hundred participants from the whole world) takes turns with choreographic and staging ones. A competition for the best Czech ballet/dance performance took place in 2011.

Ballet premieres – autumn 2011

The majority of ballet companies in the Czech Republic staged one premiere during autumn. The ones in the biggest companies are worth our attention. The National Theatre in Prague staged a program with tree choreographies by Christopher Bruce at the New Stage.

Twenty years of Kylián’s Videotheque

In 1989, after the fall of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, the first minister of culture in the independent government Milan Lukeš travelled to the Netherlands to offer Jiří Kylián a job as an art director of ballet in the National Theatre in Prague. Kylián refused at that time, he also refused offers for the head of other prestigious European ballets – in Paris or Vienna.

Dance Reflection of 2011

The main autumn events of Czech dance were festivals Letní Letná, Dance Film Festival Prague, and 4+4 Days in Motion.

Drama

Europeana – laughter from hell

Theatre Reduta (one of the stages of the National Theatre in Brno) has acquired the reputation of a progressive and successful theatre in Brno.

The Seagull in the National Theatre in Prague

The Seagull directed by Michal Dočekal represents one of few performances which have been acclaimed both by critics and viewers in the past controversial season of the National Theatre in Prague.

Puppet Theatre

Czech puppet theatre – Reflection of 2011

Eleven artists from the Naïve Theatre Liberec travelled to Hong Kong in early April, where they were to perform their famous Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves as part of the International Art Festival. All performances of the show in Hong Kong had English and Chinese subtitles.

Opera & Music Theatre

Cardillac – an experiment with modern classic

The new management of the opera department in the National Moravian and Silesian Theatre (NMST) in Ostrava closed its first season by an exclusive piece – Cardillac by Paul Hindemith who was played in the Czech Republic in the 1920s for the last time.

The Jacobin as a school of life

At the beginning of October, one of the most popular Czech operas returned to the stage of the National Theatre in Prague after 11 years. The premiere was expected with excitement which has been recently connected with each new staging of Czech classic opera.