Summary 1/2017
The first issue of the year offers, as always, the complete results of the critical survey that the Theatre Critics’ Awards are based on (q. v.). Miroslav Petříček’s essay “Time for Time” starts a new series dedicated to changes in the perception of time in the modern world and it is accompanied by an extract from Mary Ann Doane’s essay “The Emergence of Cinematic Time”. In the section “Time… for God’s Work” this is complemented by a translation of Edouard Dodo’s review (“Reality is Elsewhere”) of Ace Frehley’s play Whatever Else and a reflection on a project by the artistic group M16 entitled God’s Work (Flugbeil: “M16 and God’s Work”). In the section “Bieito Carsen Loy… and David Radok”, Rudo Leška returns to last year’s opera biennale Janáček Brno and in his essay “Janáček and Others” writes about Káťa Kabanová directed by Robert Carsen, From the House of the Dead directed by Calixto Bieito and David Radok’s production bringing together into one evening Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Schoenberg’s Expectation. Michaela Mojžišová in her essay “The Opus of the 21st Century” reviews the production of Anno Schreier’s opera Hamlet directed at the Theater an der Wien by Christof Loy. The section “Rabbit… Say Yes” (all q. v.) includes a critical survey and an essay by Miroslav Petříček reflecting on the Prague presentation of Nassim Soleimanpour’s work White Rabbit Red Rabbit. Karolina Plicková writes here about the production Constellations I. Before I Say Yes by the Spitfire Company (“A Desultory Dance of Eye Pupils”) and these are complemented by an interview with the Spitfire Company’s art director Petr Boháč (“To Become a Conspirator in Pleasure”). In the section “Flights… Over Paris” Ester Žantovská writes (“No Need to Pander to Children”) about well-received puppet productions The Little Man (directed by Radek Beran, Theatre b), Bohemia Lies by the Sea (directed by Michaela Homolová, Naivní divadlo Liberec) and The White Doe (directed by Jakub Vašíček, Drak Theatre Hradec Králové). Barbora Etlíková (“West on the Black Background”) also reviews selected productions presented at the Paris Festival d’Automne – Edifying the West: WhiteRedWhite by Natali Broods, Willem de Wolf and Peter Van den Eede (Compagnie de KOE), The Sky is not a Backdrop by Daria Deflorian and Antonio Tagliarini, Zvizdal (Chernobyl, so far, so close) by Bart Baele, Yves Degryse and Cathy Blisson, and Bernhard’s Heldenplatz directed by Krystian Lupa (Lietuvos nacionalinis dramos teatras). The final section entitled “German-Czech… Ageing Women” foreshadows the play of this issue, which is Sybille Berg’s And Then Came Mirna. Zuzana Augustová writes about the production of this play in the Gorki Theater Berlin where it was staged by Stefan Nübling, and Karel Král writes about the Czech première at the Letí Theatre directed by Adam Svozil. The “Comedy Mix” brings the first of Hubert Krejčí’s short plays entitled Smetana in Pardubice, a further instalment of “Theatre Sadism Lessons” by S.d.Ch. is entitled Palatino Linotype, and the Contents and Errata of the 2016 Volume are also included.
The Theatre Critics’ Awards The Awards are a continuation of the former Alfréd Radok Awards. They are traditionally based on the sums of votes in a survey held by the Svět a divadlo magazine (89 critics participated this year). The Best Production of the Year went to the National Theatre Brno, where David Radok together with conductor Marko Ivanović linked into one evening Béla Bartók’s opera Bluebeard’s Castle and Arnold Schoenberg’s Expectation. The award for Best Actress was won by Pavlína Štorková for her portrayal of Olga (Havlová) in the play Olga (Horrors from Hrádeček), staged by Letí Theatre under the direction of Martina Schlegelová, while the original text by Anna Saavedra was pronounced the Best Czech Play of the Year. The Best Actor category was won by Stanislav Majer who plays the main role in the production of David Zábranský’s work The Actor and Joiner Majer Talks on the State of His Homeland, staged at the Studio hrdinů by Kamila Polívková. Like the previous year, the award for Best Theatre of the Year went to the Komorní scéna Aréna Ostrava. The award for Best Set Design of the Year was shared between Jakub Kopecký, the author of the set design for the production of Vian’s Foam of Days (directed by SKUTR at the Klicperovo divadlo Hradec Králové), and Lukáš Brychta, Štěpán Tretiag, Tereza Gsöllhoferová, Eva Justichová and Natálie Rajnišová who together designed the scenographic solutions of the immersive project Pomezí (directed by Lukáš Brychta and Štěpán Tretiag). The Music of the Year was composed by Jiří Vyšohlíd for the production The White Doe directed by Jakub Vašíček at the Drak Theatre Hradec Králové. Playwright, director and actor Tomáš Daniška was pronounced the Talent of the Year.
White… Constellations The collection of texts linked by the person of dramatic advisor and director Petr Boháč opens with the survey “A Rabbit Play”, dedicated to the first series of Czech productions of Nassim Soleimanpour’s play White Rabbit Red Rabbit at the Akropolis Palace. The survey results in the assertion that the actor always has a major influence on the impression made by this work, always read for the first time by various actors without any prior preparation. It received a glowing reception from the philosopher Miroslav Petříček who reflects on his experience in the following essay, which is subtitled “A Screenplay of Life”. Karolína Plicková then writes about Boháč’s most recent production Constellations I. Before I Say Yes, staged at the Ponec Theatre by his ensemble Spitfire Company together with the Orchestr Berg. The production combines a concert of Michal Nejtek’s composition with an artistic installation and dance performance with the joint theme of desire. Petr Boháč then talks about Soleimanpour’s play and its productions abroad and also about his work with the internationally acclaimed Spitfire Company in the interview “To Become a Conspirator in Pleasure”.