Minister Jandák Confirms the Function of the Current Director of the Theatre Institute

PRAGUE, February 28, 2006 – Minister of Culture Vítěslav Jandák, has confirmed that Ondřej Černý will retain the position of Director of the Theatre Institute. Černý has currently led the subsidized organization for the past ten years. Four applicants, including Černý, participated in the competition before a selection committee on Monday, announced Ludmila Kadrnková, from the press department of the Ministry.

“The current director of the Theatre Institute, Ondřej Černý, demonstrated that the organization under his leadership has produced positive results. He presented a comprehensive concept of its continued development and shown his attempt to take personal responsibility for the insufficiencies that were revealed in the Institute’s management during a planned audit at the end of last year,” announced Kadrnková at the end of the selection process. In addition to two other representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Jiří Srstka, Vlastimil Harapes and Milan Lukeš were also members of the selection committee.

According to Kadrnková, the selection committee unanimously decided on the name of the candidate for the position of the director of the Theatre Institute. “The Minister of Culture respects their recommendation,” added Kadrnková.

During a press conference in Zlín on Monday, Jandák stated that the Theatre Institute will become the Arts Institute and part of the organization will be relocated to Brno - something that did not surprise Černý. “I agree in principle with the expansion of activities to Brno,” Černý commented and indicated that he anticipated this in his concept.

Like the consideration for forthcoming systematic change in the subsidized organizations of the Ministry of Culture, the idea of the relocation, made public by Jandák last week, resulted in the development of doubts in the cultural community. The RUO – Council of Artists (Rada uměleckých obcí) wrote an open letter to the Minister in this spirit, and was joined by members of the Association of Actors (Herecké asociace) and ten personalities including Václav Havel, Michal Prokop, Otomar Krejčí, Ivo Mathé, František Černý, Jiří Stránský and Josef Topol.

According to Jandák, this does not refer to the liquidation of the Theatre Institute: the relocation of several workplaces to Moravia would only strengthen the institute. The Department of Music and Department of Theatre (of Moravia and Silesia) would appear in Brno. “I think that Moravia deserves this,” remarked the Minister.

- taken from the Czech Press Agency, translated by Don Nixon.