IN GENERATION CUT
Veronika Štefanová interviews Barbora Etlíková, Vladimír Mikulka and Jakub Škorpil
THEATRE CRITICS’ AWARDS 2021
performance of the year, actors/actress of the year, theatre of the year, best Czech play, best scenography, best music, talent of the year
CRITICS’ SURVEY
in all categories
Barbora Etlíková
SLOW DYNAMITES DESTROY MICRO-WORLDS
three performance by Divadlo Ungelt
Peter Quileter: The Hill, dir. Pavel Ondruch, Divadlo Ungelt, 2020; Marsha Norman: ‘night, Mother, dir. Vít Vencl, Divadlo Ungelt, 2021; Tom Murphy: The Gigli Concert, dir. Marek Němec, Divadlo ungelt, 2021
Zuzana Augustová
IN POETIC UTOPIA
Pařízek’s Zdeněk Adamec at Divadlo Na zábradlí
Peter Handke: Zdeněk Adamec+Self-Accusation, dir. Dušan D.Pařízek, Divadlo Na zábradlí, 2021
Pavla Bergmannová
TO KILL KARAMAZOV?
Karamazov Brothers at Divadlo Petra Bezruče
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Karamazov Bothers, dir Jan Holec, Divadlo Petra Bezruče Ostrava, 2021
Vladimír Mikulka
TWO AUTUMN DISAPPOINTMENTS
Master… at Dlouhá, Encyclopaedia… pod Palmovkou
Michail Bulgakov: Master and Margarita, dir SKUTR, Divadlo v Dlouhé, 2021; Tomáš Dianiška: Encyclopaedia of Action Movies, dir. T.Dianiška, Divadlo pod Palmovkou, 2021
Lukáš Dubský
ANIMALS DROWN IN WORD
Orwell’s Allegory at Athens
George Orwell: Animal Farm, dir. Aris Biniaris, Athenes National Theatr, 2021
Marie Reslová
I REALLY DON’T KNOW WHO I AM
Should I stay or should I go by 11:55 Company
Anna Klimešová, Petr Erbes, Klára Fleková: Should I stay or should I go, dir. by col., 11:55, 2021
Barbora Sedláková
GET READY, WE ARE PLAYING!
Lunetic at NoD, Love Songs at Venuše ve Švehlovce
Janek & Natálka & kol.: The Legend of Lunetic, dir. Janek Lesák, Divadlo NoD, 2021; This is Not a Love Song, dir. Sára Arnstein, Ufftenživot, 2021
Ester Žantovská
A MAN OWNS A PENIS, A VAGINA OWNS A WAOMAN, AND A WOMB OWNS HAMLETESS
two drama productions by Spitfire Company
Ian McEwan: Nutshell, dir Miřenka Čechová and Petr Boháč, Spitfire Company and Divadlo Petra Bezruče, 2021; Petr Boháč a kol.: A Man Owns Penis, a Vagina Owns a Woman, dir. P.Boháč and Miřenka Čechová, Spitfire Company and Švandovo divadlo na Smíchově
Iva Heribanová
WJAT GUARANTEES CAPTIVATION?
Austerlitz’s deconstruction at HaDivadlo
Jiří Austerlitz and comp.: The Show Goes on through the Show, dir. J.Austerlitz, HaDivadlo Brno, 2021.
Lucia Hayashi
WHERE THE PLAY ENDS AND DRAMA STARTS?
Island! by Burki&com
Jana Burkiewiczová, Tomáš Luňák, Jiří Macek: Island!, dir. and choreography J.Burkiewiczová, Burki&com, 2021.
Veronika Švecová
THE MAGIC OF SEMI-PROFESSIONALS
Mafia Remaster
Mafia Remaster, Televize Estráda, 2020
Vladimír Mikulka
WE ARE BOTH SO IDENTICAL
Everyone is Right /?/ at Alfa
Tomáš Jarkovský, Jakub Vašíček, Petra Kosová: Everyone is Right (?), dir. J.Vašíček, Divadlo Alfa Plzeň, 2021.
Veronika Švecová
WHERE ARE LITTLE SOULS?
Festival Nekropolis 2021
Matija Solce, Karel Čapek: Dog Life, dir. M.Solce, 2017; Exit, work in progress Fekete Seretlek, 2021; The Hatchet, dir. Matija Solce, Teatro Matita, 2021; Plastic Heroes, dir. Ariel Doron
ÓŇA ŠULC KRÁLOVÁ: APOLLO 1.1
Lukáš&Belis: CATASTROPHES –FROST
content of Svět a divadlo, year 2021
The issue opens with Veronika Štefanová’s interview (“In the Generation Cut”) with new permanent members of the editorial staff: Jakub Škorpil who is the new editor-in-chief of the magazine, Vladimír Mikulka and Barbora Etlíková. It continues with a section dedicated to the Theatre Critics’ Awards including results and the complete critics’ survey on which the awards are based (q. v.). In the section “Dynamite… in Words” Barbora Etlíková (“Slow Dynamites Destroy Micro-worlds”) writes about three productions by the Prague Ungelt Theatre: The Hill by Peter Quilter, ’night, Mother by Marsha Norman, and The Gigli Concert by Tom Murphy. Zuzana Augustová (“In Poetic Utopia”) reviews a staging of Peter Handke’s works Zdeněk Adamec and Self-Accusation, directed by Dušan Pařízek at the Theatre on the Ballustrade. Pavla Bergmannová (“To Kill Karamazov?”) writes about the production of The Karamazov Brothers at the Petr Bezruč Theatre Ostrava (directed by Jan Holec), and Vladimír Mikulka, under the title “Two Autumn Disappointments”, considers productions of Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita (directed by SKUTR, Theatre in Dlouhá Street) and The Encyclopaedia of Action Movies, written and directed by Tomáš Dianiška (Theatre Pod Palmovkou). The section closes with Tomáš Dubský’s review of Athens production of Orwell’s Animal Farm (“Animals Drown in Words”). In the section “Don’t Know… &com“ Marie Reslová (“I Really Don’t Know Who I Am”) writes about the production Should I Stay or Should I Go by the 11:55 ensemble, Barbora Sedláková about productions of The Story of Lunetic by Janek Lesák and Natálie Preslová (Theatre NoD) and This Is Not a Love Song by Sára Arnstein (Ufftenživot Company), and Ester Žantovská (“A Man Owns a Penis, a Vagina Owns a Woman, and a Womb owns Hamletess”) writes about two collaborations of the Spitfire Company with permanent companies: Ian McEwan’s Nutshell at the Petr Bezruč Theatre Ostrava and A Man Owns a Penis, a Vagina Owns a Woman at the Švanda Theatre in Smíchov. Iva Heribanová reviews Jiří Austerlitz’s production The Show Goes on throughout the Show at the HaDivadlo Theatre (“What Guarantees Captivation”) and the section closes with Lucia Hayashi’s essay (“Where the Play Ends and Drama Starts”) about a dance production The Island by Jana Burkiewiczová. In the section “Remastered… Little Souls” Veronika Švecová writes about the production Mafia Remastered by the Televize Estráda (“The Magic of Semi-professionals”) and about the Nekropolis Festival organized annually by puppeteer Matija Solce and his friends at the Akropolis Palace; in his essay “We Are Both So Identical” Vladimír Mikulka then reviews Tomáš Jarkovský’s, Jakub Vašíček’s and Petra Kosová’s production Everyone Is Right(?) staged at the Alfa theatre in Pilsen. The play of the issue is Apollo 1.1 by Óňa Králová Šulc, and the comic strip Disasters drawn by Silvie Belis on the basis of Karel Lukáš’s rhymes opens with its first instalment Frost.
The Theatre Critics’ Awards 2021 This year was conducted the thirtieth annual critics’ survey based on which The Theatre Critics’ Awards are handed out. 73 critics participated in the survey and voting was simple and straightforward. The Best Production of 2021 was Gorky’s Vassa Zheleznova (1910 version), directed at the National Theatre by Jan Frič. The award for the Best Actress of 2021 went to Markéta Matulová for her role of Věra in the production Špinarka (Petr Bezruč Theatre Ostrava). Tomáš Dianiška, author and director of Špinarka, also won the award for the Best New Czech Play. Markéta Matulová was also named Talent of the Year. The Best Actor of the Year award was shared by Joachim Bäckström for the title role in Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes (directed by David Radok and conducted by Marko Ivanović, National Theatre Brno), and David Prachař for his role of Strindberg in the production of Marital Story directed by Jan Nebeský and staged by the JEDL company, which also won Theatre of 2021. Jazzman Emil Viklický composed the Best Music of 2021 for the same production. The award for the Best Set Design of the Year was shared by Jakub Kopecký for his set design for the production Brothers of Hope directed by Jan Jirků at the Minor Theatre, and Josef Lepša for the set design and animations for Ivan Arsenjev’s and Petr Forman’s production The Double Star Man presented by the South Bohemian Theatre in České Budějovice at the Revolving Theatre in Český Krumlov.