Archive: Culture | Theatre Theatre
The 'Clever Stupid' Rom's fairytale ending - and deeper meaning
Theatre director Pavla Dombrovska has long been fascinated by Romany
culture; inspired by the vigorous, joyful and often tragic tone of Gypsy
music, and enthralled by this people's storytelling tradition. So she set
out to adapt for the theatre a collection of Romany folktales: they were
compiled - or rather, lovingly transcribed - by the noted scholar Dr
Milena Hubschmannova, in the '60s and early '70s. But the play got off to
a difficult start: Dombrovska was shocked to find how little she really
understood of these "naïve" fairytales, and how opposed Dr
Hubschmannova was to the project. More
Petr Sourek - artistic director of theatre for the homeless
The Jezek and Cisek theatre here in Prague is most unusual in that all of
its members either are homeless or have spent time on the streets in the
past. Its dramaturg, or artistic director, is a young man called Petr
Sourek. I caught up with Petr after a recent show at Prague's NoD club,
and began by asking him to tell me a bit about the history of the Jezek
and Cisek theatre group.
More
Dagmar Havlova to return to stage in 'Moment of Truth'
Just a month ago former First Lady Dagmar Havlova - wife of playwright and
ex-president Vaclav Havel - admitted she was suffering serious health
problems - with her thyroid gland and her heart - requiring quiet and
rest. That clearly hasn't prevented the former First Lady from going ahead
with plans to return to the stage: in the spring she will appear in a
tragicomedy written by US playwright Israel Horovitz. It will be the first
time theatre fans will be able to see the actress on stage since 1997.
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Bittersweet anniversary for Prague's Rokoko theatre
One of Prague's most venerable theatres is celebrating its 90th birthday
this week. From playing host to such stars as Jan Werich and Jiri Voskovec
in the 1930s to Helena Vondrackova and Marta Kubisova in the 1960s, the
Rokoko theatre has always had a reputation for providing top-quality
entertainment for Prague audiences. Nevertheless, despite the festive
atmosphere surrounding its anniversary celebrations, the curtain seems set
to fall in this theatre for the last time.
More
Culture Minister Vitezslav Jandak to mark 100 days in office
Even in his youth, Vitezslav Jandak was a character actor, resigned to
playing second fiddle to the leading man. In the immensely popular film
"Tri Orisky Pro Popelku" (1973) - the Czechs' take on Cinderella
-- Jandak plays a bumbling fool attending the handsome prince on a hunting
trip. Thirty years later and just shy of 100 days into his role as Culture
Minister, Jandak -- with his bulbous nose, protruding belly and receding
hairline -- has become the nation's most popular politician. More
Theatre helping Prague's homeless get back on their feet
Under communism it was practically impossible to be homeless in this
country. Since the 1989 revolution that has changed dramatically, with one
survey finding there were over 3,000 people living on the streets in the
capital alone. For the down and out, getting back on their feet is no easy
task. But for a few years now a Prague theatre group has been helping the
homeless regain some self-esteem, and a semblance of normality. On Monday
it premiered a new play.
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Magazine
He's no diplomat but he has survived nine foreign ministers: meet the Czech
Foreign Ministry's 50 year old mascot Pepik. Corruption is a serious
problem, but it's giving Czechs a lot of laughs. And, an earthquake
rattles window panes in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. Find out
more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
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