Archive: Culture | Theatre Theatre
The Blonde Bitch Strikes Again at a Prague theatre house
The increasingly absurd world of Czech politics is proving a huge success
at a small Prague theatre house which is drawing the crowds with a
political cabaret based on real life politics. Actors reciting verbatim
excerpts from wiretappings involving prominent politicians and statements
from the scandalous trial against the de-facto leader of one of the ruling
parties keep the audience in gales of laughter; a sad testimony of the
sorry state of Czech politics. More
Václav Havel’s literary agent Jitka Sloupová on his plays, their foreign productions and his image as an author
The late Václav Havel is now being remembered as a great statesman and
human rights advocate. But he was also a prominent literary figure. In
fact, before he became an opposition leader in communist Czechoslovakia, he
was already established playwright whose plays appeared on stages
worldwide. Václav Havel’s literary agent Jitka Sloupová, from the Aura
Pont agency, talks about what inspired his dramas that quickly gained
acclaim both at home and abroad. More
Pinter’s "In Other Rooms" at Divadlo Na Zábradlí
In this week’s Arts, I talk to David Peimer, professor of theatre at
University College in the UK, also involved with the Pinter Centre for
Performance and Creative Writing in London. In our interview Mr Peimer
discusses In Other Rooms - a production in English of lesser-known short
plays by the late Nobel Prize laureate Harold Pinter. While not as
widely-known as Pinter’s most famous work, the short plays are highly
recommended – and Czech audiences will have a chance to see them this
weekend when the production, co-directed by Mr Peimer, comes to the Theatre
on the Ballustrade in Prague. More
Czech theatrical legend Jiří Suchý turns 80
The popular Czech actor, singer, songwriter, playwright, painter,
screenwriter and director Jiří Suchý turned 80 on Saturday. In top form,
the living legend of Czech theatre received standing ovations at a special
concert he held to celebrate his birthday at Prague’s Semafor theatre. More
My Neighbor, My Enemy : problems of coexistence
In this week’s Panorama :a play at Prague’s National Theatre highlights
the problems of coexistence between ethnic Czechs and the Roma minority,
Karlovy Vary protesting against too many foreign language signs, and, Czech
politicians make headlines from here to Belgrade. More
Jiří (George) Voskovec – the Czech theatrical pioneer who carved out a Cold-War career in Hollywood
This edition of Czechs in History looks at the life and career of Jiří
Voskovec, one half of the legendary Czech duo Voskovec and Werich, whose
work at the “Liberated Theatre” or Osvobozené Divadlo in the 1920s and
30s left an indelible mark on Czech culture. More
Dr. Peter Holbrook – Shakespeare scholar and author of “Shakespeare’s Individualism”
Last week, some 600 Shakespeare scholars came to Prague for the 9th World
Shakespeare Congress, an international academic events that has previously
been held in such cities as Brisbane, Berlin or Los Angeles. Among the
guests was the Australian scholar Peter Holbrook, a member of the
International Shakespeare Association’s Congress Committee and author of
a book titled “Shakespeare’s Individualism.” In this interview, he
speaks about his central thesis, Shakespeare research in different
countries and what his experience at the congress has been like. More
9th World Shakespeare Congress brings renowned international Shakespeare scholars to Czech capital
Currently underway in Prague is the 9th World Shakespeare Congress, a
six-day event that brings some 600 literary historians and other scholars
to the Czech capital. It was jointly organized by the National Theater and
Charles University and is entitled “Renaissance Shakespeare: Shakespeare
Renaissances.” One of the local congress organizers, Charles
University’s Prof. Martin Procházka, speaks about the highlights so far,
what significance the congress has for Charles University and what its
mission is. More
Miroslav Trejtnar on teaching the Czech art of puppetry to international students
For the tenth year in a row, a small workshop in the Prague neighbourhood
of Vršovice is hosting a group of students from the US, India, Australia
and other countries who come to learn how to make traditional Czech
marionettes. The man who runs the courses and who teaches his international
students everything they need to know about puppets is Miroslav Trejtnar,
our guest in this edition of One on One. When I visited his workshops, the
course was halfway trough and the students had just begun carving their
puppets, which as Mr Trejtnar says it’s one of the most exiting stages of
the programme. More
A tour through a world of performance design at the Prague Quadrennial
Last week we told you about the opening of the Prague Quadrennial, an
unparalleled showcase of world scenography – design for artistic
performance – that began in 1967 and only comes around every four years.
The exhibits cover everything from costumes, sound design, and theatre
architecture to multi-media theatrical and performance art… in short, if
you imagine a wildish menagerie of all things theatre, then you’re half
way there. For today’s Arts I spent an afternoon walking around one of
the most special attractions at the Quadrennial, which is the pavilion of
installations from 60 different countries and regions, all entirely unique
and hosting some of the best and most imaginative of scenographic work the
world over. More
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