Czech Theatre - 1992 - 94

Czech Theatre during the 92-93 and 93-94 Seasons (Marie Boková, Jana Machalická)

Introduction

The two most recent theatre seasons are marked by events like the split of Czechoslovakia into two independent States. This is naturally reflected in the interrupted continuity of close developments between both national cultures. The severance of these natural links was replaced - and that is something of a paradox - by the much more frequent participation of Slovak theatre-professionals in Czech theatre, for example Vladimír Strnisko as manager of the Drama Club, Martin Porubjak as dramaturge and stage director of the National Theatre, Roman Polák as guest stage-director at both Prague and Brno National Theatre, Jozef Bednárik as guest stage-director at the National Theatre, Ján Závarský as guest stage designer and teacher, etc.
In the Czech Lands the professional theatre is facing many different complications. Unclarified legislation, perpetual commercial pressure, the departure of personalities, the theatre critics' lesser prestige, loss of interest on the part of the theatre-going public - all this is reflected in the standard of the productions and the future prospects of theatre. This situation is still further intensified by the Czech Ministry of Culture (the ministerial chair being held during this period by M. Uhde, J. Kabát, P. Tigrid) which represents the pragmatic attitudes of the cabinet. Their opinion is that investments into culture should be returnable and that this area should be predominantly selfsufficient financially. Under these difficult conditions the efforts of the Czech professional theatres to stay open and to make arrangements aiming for a better future are truly worthy of admiration. It is from this point of view that we must look at the critical evaluations of the standard of Czech theatre during the two recent seasons.

Changes in the Theatre Network

According to the pertinent legislation, city magistrates became the founders of most of the Czech and Moravian theatres. Although this process took place gradually, the system was fully applied for the 92-93 season onwards. It is now up to the towns to decide how to spend the sums they receive from the state budget if they are not specified for certain ends. The right legislation is still lacking to make it possible to finance theatres from various sources and thus end their dependence on a single source of income (with the exception of occasional sponsorships). The increasing costs for the running of the theatres, the production of stage-decorations etc. mean that the subsidies have in effect decreased. The influence of these negative factors is reflected in the present situation - the continuity of the Czech theatre network (dating back to the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) is being disrupted, there is a clear tendency to decrease in size and discontinue permanent theatre companies and this damages the development of local culture.
The permanent theatre company in Teplice (Krušnohorské divadlo) for example, has been discontinued and it had enjoyed a tradition over a hundred years old. In the near future, the method of financing and the transformation of further Prague theatres are to be resolved (Otomar Krejča's Divadlo za branou II, the Chamber Opera, the State Opera, the Chamber Ballet). New ensembles are being set up, but they are mostly the discontinued ones regrouped (e.g. the theatre in Mladá Boleslav, Boleslav Polívka's Theatre in Brno, the Drama Studio moving from Ústí nad Labem to Prague). The exception is the Dejvice Theatre in Prague, where last year's drama graduates are acting.
The only example of a newly constructed interior is the Divadlo Archa in Prague, which originated through a reconstruction of the former E. F. Burian Theatre and will host the guest-performances of experimental groups from home and abroad. The Unique revolving stage in the chateau park of Český Krumlov has come alive again after several years of reconstruction work.
Agency and private theatres present dozens of productions but these are mostly single-performance and often commercially oriented events.
Personnel changes are taking place constantly in the theatre managements, which prevents the forming of a clear profile for the ensembles and dramaturgy.

Dramaturgy and Production

In this situation, the theatres are mostly settling for a popular repertoire - comedies, spectacular shows, but predominantly musicals of all types. The latter are mostly of Anglo-American origin (Chicago at the Ostrava State Theatre, Sugar at the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Plzeň, Hello Dolly at the Music Theatre in Brno and State Theatre in Ostrava, Cabaret at the Krušnohorské in Teplice, West Side Story at the Music Theatre Karlin in Prague, Animal Farm at the Slovácké theatre in Uherské Hradiště). The standard manner of presenting world musicals reached Czech stages only lately (after Les Miserables came Jesus Christ Superstar at the Spirála in Prague). Original new attempts in this sphere are poor, even when often accompanied by a bombastic promotion campaign - this being somewhat new in our setting (Stanislav Moša and Zdeněk Merta produce pseudophilosophical musicals - A Midsummer Night's Dream, based on Shakespeare and The Bastard, based on Goethe). More successful are the producers who follow up the domestic genre traditions (The Voskovec and Werich Liberated Theatre, the fringe theatres of the sixties, the studio productions of the last two decades): Stars on the Willow at the Ha-Theatre in Brno, Josephine at the Karlín Music Theatre in Prague, School the Foundation-stone for Life, the Barber of Seville at the Labyrinth, Prague. The musical fever seems to have culminated in the 93-94 season.
The plays chosen are mostly the classics. For examples the Prague National Theatre surprised us with a dramatization of the chronicle by the Mrštík brothers, The Village Year (stage-director Miroslav Krobot) which was chosen as best production of 1993. Of the world classics on Czech stages - the most frequently played is Shakespeare, but Moliere and Carlo Goldoni are also presented. Unexpectedly, antiquity has also made a return to the Czech stages in several productions - the most significant contribution in this sense was the project Conquerors of Troy at the Labyrinth in Prague, stage-director Karel Kříž, translation by Jaroslav Král - a new conception in theatrology.
World drama dating back to the turn of the century was represented by Arthur Schnitzler (The Soul is a Broad Landscape at the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague, Masquerade at the Labyrinth, Prague), Frank Wedekind (Lulu - Drama Club, Prague, Awakening of Spring at the Drama Studio in Ústí nad Labem). This sort of drama, reflecting the fin-de-siecle, evidently corresponds to the emotions of our contemporary theatre-goers.
The work of Paul Claudel has also made a come-back to Czech stages (The Satin Slipper at the Prague and Brno National Theatres, Protheus at the Labyrinth, Prague).
Contemporary Czech drama, however, is a rare guest on our stages these days. Czech playwrights seem to have pulled back into anonymity even though supported by competitions and foundations. Moreover, when an interesting play does appear in a competition, theatres mostly do not present them because they fear to take the box-office risk. The short boom for plays banned for twenty years is more or less over (Václav Havel, Pavel Kohout, Pavel Landovský etc.), writers of the middle generation (Karel Steigerwald, Daniela Fischerová) do not appear on the stage either, the only significant representative of the younger generation is J. A. Pitínský (his successful Little Room at the Theatre on the Balustrade, directed by P. Lébl).
Equally unsatisfactory is the situation in the presenting of plays from abroad - either they are extremely tardy premieres (Zbygniew Herbert's Cave of Philosophers), artistically unconvincing box-office successes (Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden) or plays of boulevard type (Ken Ludwig's Overworked Tenor, presented at several Czech theatres).
From the average production practise (ever more dependent on the financial situation of the theatre) we see some strong younger stage-director personalities emerge, who gather younger ensembles: Petr Kracik at the Theatre pod Palmovkou - ambitious but sensitive interpretations of the classics (William Shakespeare: Hamlet, Henrik Ibsen: Peer Gynt, F. M. Dostoievsky: Idiot), Hana Burešová at the Labyrinth - highly cultivated intelligent entertainment, often following up the Czech tradition in the music-drama genre (her own adaptation of Rossini's Barber of Seville, Jaroslav Žák's School is the Foundation of Life), Jakub Špalek at the Kašpar - unusual titles in a stage conception to the taste of young theatre-goers (a dramatization of Keys's novel A Rose for Algernon), the creative team of the Ha-Theatre in Brno - the production of non-theatrical titles - prose etc., aimed mostly at the intellectual public.
The greatest internal change has taken place at the Theatre on the Balustrade in Prague. The short period of management under Jan Grossman (1991-93) when he set up a new ensemble with decided, success and directed his last production, Alan Bennett's Kafka's Dick, was cut short by the sudden death of this excellent Czech stage director (10. 2. 92). After a successful competition the Theatre on the Balustrade is now in the hands of Petr Lébl, a young, controversial, provocative, admired and damned stage director and designer. His productions certainly have an unclichéd metaphor, characteristic novel design and a pleasant playfulness. Nearly all the plays he produced at the Theatre on the Balustrade during the first year under his management (J. A. Pitínský's Little Room, Jean Genet's Servant-girls, Stanislav Mráz's She's Good at Zoology, Ladislav Stroupežnický's Heroism and Fury, A. P. Tchekhov's Seagull) enjoyed decided acclaim from critics and theatregoers alike and often became the subject of polemics and discussions.
Czech opera ensembles are also coping with serious problems (reduced ensembles, the departure of personalities). During the 93 - 94 season, the Festival of Czech Music Theatre was held, which attempted to present artistic results particularly of the out-of-Prague theatres. There were successful presentations by ensembles from Opava (Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa), from České Budějovice (W. A. Mozart's Cosi fan tutte), Plzeň (Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata). The Prague National Theatre split into two independent ensembles in April 1992 (the State Opera and the National Theatre Opera) and this brought about problems but also partially positive results (for example the production of composers as yet not presented on the stage - Hans Krása's Dream Engagement at the State Opera). Beside some problematic titles, the Prague National Theatre Opera also presented Czech and world classics in an attractive way (Antonín Dvořák's Jacobite, directed by Josef Průdek, W. A. Mozart's Magic Flute, directed by David Radok). The climax of the 93-94 season as well as of the whole followed period was the practically shocking project presented by Slovak artists - Gounod's opera Romeo and Juliet (directed by Jozef Bednárik). Otherwise the majority of ensembles presented titles mostly guaranteed successful with the public, for example the four most well-known Verdi operas sung in Italian.
In ballet no outstanding projects emerged during this period. One of the exceptions is the work of the Slovak stage director Jozef Bednárik and the progressive choreographer Libor Vaculík (Little Mr Friedemann, and Psycho, presented by the Prague National Theatre ballet). International Dance Prague have won international acclaim after several years' effort and are successfully continuing to develop international contacts, however their work reflects domestic creativity only to a limited degree. Also successful is the cooperation between Czech and Dutch artists on the basis of the Kylián Foundation.
The mentioned transformations also hit the area of pantomime, are reflected for example in the disintegration of the pantomime ensemble at the Theatre on the Balustrade or the Movement Theatre Studio and also in the changed programme of Theatre M in České Budějovice. A positive phenomenon is the teaching of pantomime at the independent Seat for Non-verbal Theatre of the Academy of Arts, under Ctibor Turba. Moreover, the spectrum of means of expression in this genre has been extended by combining dance with puppetry. This enrichment has also been projected into two of the most significant of recent projects - Giro di Vita, and L'Amphiparnasso (Ctibor Turba at the Kaple Studio).
Puppet theatre remains a perennial value, even though this genre too is hit by the commercial trends - to mention the tendency to present popular "Disney-type" titles for children (Snow White, Cinderella ...). There is thus less space for experiments addressed to the adult public (one of the few examples being the international project at the Drak Theatre - Tower of Babylon). The leading puppet theatres are regularly on tour abroad (theatres from Liberec, Hradec Králové, Plzeň, also from Ostrava, and Minor from Prague). One of the culmination points of the recent season was the variation on ancient puppetry plays, Iva Peřinová's Headless Knight as presented by the Liberec Naive Theatre (directed by Tomáš Dvořák). National festivals - Mateřinka and Skupa's Plzeň - are still held (now with international participation).

Periodicals, Prizes, Festivals

The majority of the professional theatre periodicals have concentrated under one publishing house during the recent period, this being the Theatre Institute (Theatre News, Theatre Revue, Theatre Czech, Theatre Institute News, The Puppeteer, Dance). The specialized revue The World and Theatre is published by the Theatre Community.
The Alfréd Radok Foundation initiated a competition for the best new theatre play - the Alfréd Radok Prize. Together with the editorial office of the periodical The World and Theatre, this foundation is organizing another competition - the Alfréd Radok Prize for the best production of the year. In 1992 this prize was won by stage director Hana Burešová for her production of Christian Grabbe's Don Juan and Faust (at the Labyrinth), a year later the prize was awarded to stage director Miroslav Krobot for the production of his own dramatization of the chronicle by the Mrštík brothers, The Village Year (at the Prague National Theatre), special merits went to Karel David and his team of the Brno Ha-Theatre for the retro-musical Stars on the Willow. The latter production is a quite exceptionally creative effort which reflects the atmosphere of the sixties with authenticity, moreover with a brilliant music performance. The production was accepted absolutely positively by both the critics and the theatre-going public. The newly introduced Thalia Prize for acting performances, set up at the instigation of the Actors Association, is more of a social event than anything else.
What Czech theatre lacked since November 1989 was a chance for confrontation in the sense of a national theatre review. Its first stage was the biennale Meetings, organized by the City Theatre in Zlín. This review acquired an even more topical significance in context with the split of Czechoslovakia (Meetings in the sense of Czech with Slovak). A selection from the best productions is presented at the Theatre Festival which should be taking place annually in Plzeň in the future. This event is organized by the Ministry of Culture and the City of Plzeň. The review held in Cheb, One-Actor Theatre is the only one of its kind and seems to have acquired a new vitality lately.

Conclusion

It is a paradox that the old values which created Czech theatre and which could be followed up (for example Krejča's Theatre Za Branou, the studio theatre movement, the conceptual trend of the Realist Theatre - the Labyrinth) are bagatellized and under-estimated. Everything seems to hint at the fact that during the process of the swift transformation of the economics and the whole of society, theatre has found itself on the very fringes of public interest. Theatre-goers have become easy prey to the flood of simple commercial imports and their domestic versions. After the barriers of ideology collapsed, the financial dictate arose. Since 1989 Czech theatre managements are practising "discipline" (reduction of ensemble members, cost economizing) to the highest possible degree. However, the theatres have no reserves of any kind in this respect and a swift general solution of their financial problems is now imperative. All the more so considering that there seems to be an increase in theatre-going in several theatres during the recent season.