Czech Autumn: From Greek tragedy to newly written opera
September 14, 2023
This fall we are showing four Czech performances. The Greek tragedy Antigone, the toddler production Bedtime, the newly written opera So silent till and the ballet-inspired Ballet Dancers. More about the program can be found here:
Antigone - Drak Theatre (CZ)
Sunday, September 17 at 19:00
Monday, September 18 at 13:00 and 19:00
Tuesday, September 19 at 11:00 am
Antigone is about the fate of a young heroine in an ancient Greek tragedy. Her father killed her own father, her grandfather, and had an affair with her mother, and therefore also with her mother and therefore also with her grandmother. Her brothers kill each other, and one of the brothers is not allowed to be buried by her future father-in-law. In addition, there are conflicts with her mother's brother or her grandmother's brother, whoever that may be. Things aren't easy with her sister either, and perhaps her sister also has problems with the heroine? It's hard to say.
The Oedipus complex. Psyche. Eros. Although Xanax is not a Greek word, it might as well be. Either way, it seems like a pyrrhic victory to enter adulthood with such burdens on your shoulders.
What has she done to deserve this? Why couldn't she have just been born into a normal family? And is there even such a thing as a normal family?
The heroine wants to take her fate into her own hands. But she faces an absurd prohibition that brings back the shadows of her family's past. Why should she be the one to bear the burden of mistakes and misdeeds committed by others? It seems she has no choice but to redefine her relationship to authority, to her parents, to those close to her, to the world and even to herself, just to be able to live a normal life.
Following the theatrical film "The Journey", this new adaptation of the ancient myth based on the motifs of Sophocles' tragedy is the second production in a new series of plays by Drak Theatre aimed at a teenage audience.
Target audience: From 13 years old
Venue: Pilotscenen
Duration: 80 minutes
Language: Czech with English subtitles
Cast:
Script: Tomáš Jarkovský and Jakub Vašíček
Director: Jakub Vašíček
Set design: Kamil Bělohlávek
Costumes: Tereza Vašíčková
Music: Daniel Čámský
Choreography: Dora Sulženko Hoštová
Dramaturg: Tomáš Jarkovský, Barbora Pokorná
Producer: Barbora Kalinová
Executive Producer: Martina Štětinová
Actors: Jazmína Piktorová, Edita Valášková, Milan Hajn, Šimon Dohnálek, Luděk Smadiš, Petr Reif, Barbara Jarkovská Humel, Jiří Vyšohlíd, Jan Popela, Dominik Linka, Pavla Lustyková, Petra Cicáková, Pavel Černík, Jan Čipčala, Šimon Ženíšek
The production is a collaboration with Městská divadla pražská.
Photo: Tomáš Roček
More info can be found here.
Bedtime - Drak Theatre (CZ)
Wednesday, September 20 at 11:00 and 13:00
Bedtime is based on the familiar situation where it is time for the children to go to bed, but suddenly they discover an unexpected energy that makes them not want to go to sleep at all. This brings little joy to the father, who thought he was going to get them to bed without any problems.
Welcome to an original performance that moves between poetic physical theater and clowning.
Target group: From 3 years old
Venue: Pilotscenen
Cast:
Concept: Veronika Poldauf Riedlbauchová, Marianna Stránská
Director and choreographer: Veronika Poldauf Riedlbauchová
Set designer: Marianna Stránská
Music: Jan Čtvrtník
Dramaturge: Tomáš Jarkovský
Lighting design: Michal Kříž
Actors: Petra Cicáková, Dominik Linka, Luděk Smadiš
More info can be found here.
So silent till - Spitfire Company (CZ)
Wednesday, October 18 at 19:00
We are proud to present the world-renowned company Spitfire in collaboration with Oslo kulturskole at the brand new Voldsløkka Scene. It will be an unforgettable performance with dance, opera and orchestra.
Childhood should be inviolable. Full of imagination, love and playfulness. Yet every now and then, something happens that will shape a child's life forever.
"So silent till" is an intimate musical monodrama about a woman who decides to reveal everything that happened to her when she went from being a child to becoming a girl.
What goes on in the woman's mind before she stands before the judge and points out her own abuser? Will she drown in her own memories? Can she understand herself through her child's alter ego? Can she forgive? And can she forgive herself?
Newly written opera by Slavomír Hořínka with a full chamber orchestra on stage.
Target group: From 15 years old
Venue: Voldsløkka Stage
Cast:
Music: Slavomír Hořínka
Libretto: Jana Šrámková
Director: Petr Boháč and Miřenka Čechová
Set design: Lucia Škandíková
Conductor: Peter Vrábel
Lighting design: Jiří Šmirk
Project manager: Ludmila Vacková
PR manager: Adéla Brabcová
Producer: Barbora Repická
Stage manager: Jan Honeiser
Actors: Markéta Cukrová (the woman), Sarah Alon / Tereza Šlosárková (the girl), Martin Dvořák (the man), Martin Talaga (the horse)
Orchestra (Berg Orchestra): Jana Kubánková (violin), Vojtěch Masnica (double bass), Zuzana Leimer (flute), Anna Dolečková (clarinets), Ladislav Kozderka (trumpet), František Vincúr (trombone), Tibor Adamský/Štěpán Hon (percussion), Roman Zabelov (accordion)
More info can be found here.
Ballet Dancers - Spitfire Company (CZ)
Thursday, October 19 at 19:00
Friday, October 20 at 19:00
Ballet dancers have two faces. The smiling and perfect one that the audience sees. And the dark one, when they disappear behind the curtain.
"Ballet Dancers" shows a raw and self-deprecating focus on the dance school environment and the wild 1990s. A dark and humorous description of the bitter struggle against a despotic and dogmatic system, and the loss of one's own identity.
Miřenka Čechová has created a multi-genre version of her book, Ballet Dancers, in which she describes the difficult and sometimes cruel journeys of young girls following their ballet dream. The performance is personal and emotionally charged. The dancer reveals herself to the audience physically, but mainly psychologically. She relives her traumas, but also achieves a catharsis.
The production uses a wide range of scenic effects to draw attention to the toxic environment female ballet students may encounter.
Target group: From 15 years old
Venue: Pilotscenen
Language: English
Cast:
Concept, direction and performer: Miřenka Čechová
Musicians on stage: Mary C.
Dramaturgy: Martina Kinská
Regi collaboration: Janka Ryšánek Schmidtová
Theater collaboration: Tereza Dočkalová
Music: Martin Tvrdý
Lighting design: Filip Horn
Animation: Linda Arbanová
Costumes and props: Eva Matoušová
Set design: Petr Boháč and Eva Matoušová
More info can be found here.
