From 17-28 May, the 16th edition of Divadelní svět Brno (‘Theatre World Brno’; DSB) will bring over 70 theatrical performances and events to audiences in Brno. Showcasing a curated selection of international productions from Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Germany, as well as the finest Czech theatre, the festival offers audiences an eclectic mix of drama, chamber works, dance performances and site-specific projects, alongside a rich accompanying programme.
As one of the largest theatre festivals in the Czech Republic, DSB is a unique collaboration between the Brno National Theatre, Brno City Theatre, Husa na provázku Theatre, Polárka Theatre, Radost Theatre and the artistic spaces of the Theatre Faculty of JAMU – Studio Marta and Divadlo na Orlí (DNO).
During the first few days of the festival, the organisers will open the foyer of the Janáček Theatre, where they will set up an Open Festival House presenting an all-day theatre programme for all ages, in a space not usually open to the public outside of performances. The opening programme will culminate with the NdB2 Ballet Company’s ‘Ark Project’, a dance performance on the theme of our planet as the symbolic Ark of humanity.
Festival Premiere of the International Project Quanta and Highlights from the International Line-Up
The Open Festival House will be followed at the Janáček Theatre by the highlight of the festival, the performance ‘Quanta’, a co-production of DSB.
‘Quanta’ was created by the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre in collaboration with DSB, the Divine Comedy International Theatre Festival (Poland), the Onassis Stegi arts organisation (Greece) and the deSingel cultural centre (Belgium). Set in a fictional Swiss hotel amidst the greatest figures of interwar physics, chemistry and philosophy, the production offers audiences a mesmerising and sophisticated multimedia experience enhanced by its scale on the Janáček Theatre stage. The story is full of twists and turns, with quantum physics not only providing a backdrop to the interwar political situation and the personal stories of the characters, but also driving the scenes in the performance. ‘Quanta’ will premiere on 20 May at 7pm, with a second performance on 21 May at 6pm. Prior to these performances, there will be a live recording of the ‘Diary N Spheres’ podcast at the Reduta Theatre, focusing on the centenary of the rise of quantum physics.
“Our aim is to establish the festival as one of the leading European festivals,” said Martin Glaser, director of DSB and NdB Brno. “Following current production trends and participating in a project that none of the cooperating institutions could otherwise afford alone was the next logical step for us. We are glad that this happened with Quanta, a project directed by the renowned Łukasz Twarkowski, whose work the audience will recognise from last year’s successful production of The Employees at the Brno Exhibition Centre.”
The other two major performances at the festival are also a result of collaboration. The first is a production by Warsaw’s Diversity Theatre entitled ‘When the Snow Melts’, which tells the dramatic contemporary story of a Polish family. Created with the Polish Adam Mickiewicz Institute, it will be performed at the Reduta Theatre on 27 May.
The second project is ‘By the River’, co-produced by the Slovak National Theatre and the Vienna Schauspielhaus. This heartwarming story depicts the longing for freedom of a doctor, an architect and a writer, who have to cope with personal hardships and the challenges of their era. The festival will present this production, which maps the period from the 1950s to the 1980s and stars Richard Stanek, at the Drama Stage of the Brno City Theatre on Saturday 24 May at 3pm and 8pm.
Another production by the Drama Department of the Slovak National Theatre is to be presented: ‘Odliv’, a performance about a contemporary Slovak phenomenon – the departure of young, educated people (but not only them) from their homeland. Starring Emília Vášáryová, Emil Horváth and Gregor Hološka, it will be performed on 23 May at the Reduta Theatre.
The varied selection of Slovak works in the programme is intentional, as it aims to provide a comprehensive reflection of contemporary Slovak culture. The emphasis on Slovak theatre is covered by a special dramaturgical strand called ‘Theatre is the centre of interest’, which includes lectures, post-performance debates, a programme in collaboration with the weekly magazine Respekt, and a theatre trip.
The programme of foreign productions for adults will close with a popular production: ‘Because the Night’ by Theatre Bremen, about the legendary American singer Patti Smith. It will be staged twice, on 24 May at 6pm and on 25 May at 5pm at the Mahen Theatre.
Foreign productions will also be on display for children to enjoy. One of this year’s puppet shows for children aged five and over is ‘Robinson.ka’, produced by the award-winning children’s theatre company ODIVO and presented by the Žilina Puppet Theatre. This production tells the story of a little girl who lives in the middle of the sea, and will be presented on 24 May at DNO.
For young adults, the festival presents ‘Odyssey’, a production by Bratislava’s LUDUS Theatre based on Homer’s famous epic and updated for young audiences by one of Germany’s most successful contemporary authors, Roland Schimmelpfennig. What happened to the history student who was tasked with retelling the story of Odysseus? Young viewers will find out at the festival on 26 May.
The international offering for children is completed by the Norwegian production ‘Coming from Afar’ by NIE Theatre, performed in Czech and English. This intimate production features a yurt ‘growing’ on the Mahen Theatre stage, where the audience will learn about the fate of Syrian refugees. Scheduled for 28 May, this performance uses shadow theatre principles and is accompanied by live music.
Dance and New Circus performances
The DSB festival is known for its line of dance and movement productions that differ from the genre of classical ballet – this year’s programme includes three such shows. The first is a dance production with spoken word based on the book ‘The Seagull’ by Jonathan Livingston, presented by the acclaimed Czech dance company DEKKADANCERS, in collaboration with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Audience members will have the opportunity to meet the dancers and actors Jiří Lábus and Vilém Udatný, who will perform alongside the Czech theatre and film composer Ivan Acher. This performance will be presented on 25 May at the Music Stage of the Brno City Theatre.
The second dance production will be ‘The Collection of Vices’. This new comedic circus performance is based on a well-known project by Kateřina Šedá, mapping the bad habits everyone experiences throughout their life. On 23 May, audience members will have the opportunity to revisit these familiar vices on the Music Stage of the Brno City Theatre.
The last dance production of this year’s festival is ‘Fairy Tales’, a project by the POCKETART collective, co-produced by the Tanec Praha dance festival and presented as part of the ‘Echoes of the Small Inventory’ programme from the Prague theatre festival. This suggestive movement and visual experience for eight women, accompanied by live music, will be performed on 27 May at the Mahen Theatre.
“We are glad that we can invite leading Czech dancers to perform on major festival stages, and that these performances are so popular with audiences. This clearly shows us that Czech dance art is not on the periphery of audience interest, but is creating modern and interesting productions that we can include in the festival’s dance programme,” said Karel Littera, the festival’s dramaturge and NdB Ballet’s artistic director.
Theatre for Young Audiences
When it comes to the children’s programme, DSB is building on last year’s collaboration with the Theatre Institute and the Institute of Arts to organise an international theatre critics’ conference, attended by members from around the globe, as well as a professional meeting of ASSITEJ, an organisation representing European activities in the field of children’s and young adult theatre. A group of experts will be in attendance, and the productions presented at the DSB festival will showcase Czech theatre for children and young people. The meeting will also offer networking opportunities.
The traditional children’s theatre company Naivné divadlo Liberec will bring its production ‘The Red Balloon’ to the festival for the youngest audience. In the show, a little boy tries to save his friend — the red balloon — from the pitfalls of his surroundings. The performance will take place on 24 May in the basement theatre at Husa na provázku. The festival will also feature Divadlo Minor, one of the most popular theatres in the Czech Republic. On 24 May, they will present their production of ‘Hamlet’ at the Polárka Theatre. The Ostrava Puppet Theatre has prepared an adaptation of a literary classic for young audiences: ‘Pilot and the Little Prince’, which will be performed on 25 May at DNO.
Creative Collaborations Across Theatres
This year is also the sixth year of the festival’s ‘Performance Incubator’ project, through which Czech independent theatre groups can realise projects – in collaboration with DSB – which would otherwise be beyond the limitations of their resources.
“Over the past six years, we have supported sixteen projects that have premiered at the festival,” explained Barbara Gregorová, the festival’s chief dramaturg. “These are productions of various genres. This year will be no different, as we have prepared several exciting new offerings in collaboration with these companies.”
This year’s biggest co-production project, prepared by DSB in cooperation with the Letí Theatre, is the immersive production ‘The Last One Out’, which will be presented at the Brno Káznice. This production is the result of a two-year workshop supported by the international Fabulamundi – Playwriting Europe network. Six authors, together with directors Emma Žežulová, Ctibor Němec and Jan Froňek, will present their original vision of preparations for the end of the world, allowing the audience to experience it first-hand. From 19-22 May, the show will be performed twice a day.
The Ufftenživot association will present ‘Daddy Can’t Do It Anymore!’ by Jiří Šimek and Sara Arnstein, which is aimed at children. Another co-production is Mountains, Mines, Episodes, an experimental theatre project by D’epog. It will be performed on 25 May at 6 pm and 9 pm in the Vegetable Market (Zelný trh).
The programme then features Around the Corner of the World, the latest project from Prague’s Studio Hrdinů, which will premiere at the Husa na provázku Theatre on 28 May. Finally, ‘IDENTITA’, a work-in-progress project co-produced by the Brno theatre group Aldente, which has worked with people with Down syndrome for a long time, will be presented in the basement theatre on 27 May.
National Productions on Display
As in previous years, DSB will showcase the most successful Czech theatre productions. Slovácké divadlo from Uherské Hradiště will present ‘How We Got Here’, a production written specifically for the theatre and its company. Starring the company’s leading actresses, Pavla Hejcmanová, Jitka Hlaváčová and Petra Staňková, the production will be staged at the Drama Stage of the Brno Municipal Theatre on 25 May.
The National Moravian-Silesian Theatre will bring the classical ancient tragedy ‘Medea’, directed by Jakub Šmíd and staged at the Mahen Theatre on 26 May.
Another production, from Ostrava, is Friedrich Schiller’s ‘Maria Stuart’, updated by British theatre director and novelist Robert Icke. Starring Magdalena Holcová and Alexandra Palatinusová and directed by Petr Bezruč Theatre artistic director Jan Holc, the production will be staged on 26 May at the Drama Stage of the Brno City Theatre.
Prague’s NoD will present Šmejdi útočí, directed by Janek Lesák. This production is based on real-life stories in which the person on the other end of the phone, internet connection or table has only one goal: to get money from your credit card. It will be performed at the festival on 23 May at DNO.
The popular Geisslers Hofcomoedianten are returning to the festival with ‘Simply Simplicius’, based on the book by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen and subtitled ‘Forrest Gump against the backdrop of the Thirty Years’ War’. Audiences will have the opportunity to meet the author on 25 May at Studio Marta.
Brno Theatre Highlights
The organising theatres will have the opportunity to showcase their work to visitors from outside Brno. The main organiser, NdB, will present ‘The Patriots’, starring Tomáš Šulaj and Viktor Kuzník and directed by Jakub Šmíd. This production has recently made a significant impact on both audiences and critics. It has been included in the programme for 22 May at the Mahen Theatre.
On 24 May, the Reduta Theatre will host ‘The Hourly Hotelier’, starring Vladimír Krátký and Bedřich Výtisk, directed by Štěpán Pácl.
The Brno City Theatre will also present its latest productions at the festival: ‘Father’, based on the film starring Anthony Hopkins, will be staged at the Drama Stage on 27 May while on the Musical Stage, the theatre will present ‘The Summer of the Jackal’, a musical directed by Stanislav Slovák, on 28 May.
The Husa na provázku Theatre is including two new productions in its showcase this year. The first is ‘Once the Children Thank Us for It’, a production based on a prose novel by Petr Šesták starring Dominik Teleky, directed by Martin Modrý, a successful representative of the younger generation of Czech directors. The second is ‘From the Sexual Life of Our People’ by Daniela Špinar, which will be staged in the Provázek.sklep space on 26 May.
Children’s theatre company Polárka will also present two productions at the festival: ‘Love from TikTok’, directed by Daniela Špinar, on 20 May at the Small Stage; and ‘First Time’, directed by Štěpán Gajdoš, on 23 May at the Large Stage.
On 22 May, Radost Theatre will present an adaptation of the well-known literary classic ‘Animal Farm’, and on 28 May it will present ‘1950: Horáková ON AIR’, a project about a dark period in modern Czech history.
The Theatre Faculty at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU) has prepared the premieres of its latest productions, ‘Orlando’ and ‘Family Institute (Fun Home)’, for audiences at Studio Marta and DNO, respectively.
As part of the presentation of Brno’s theatre productions, the festival is placing greater emphasis on the city’s independent theatre scene, which is why this year’s programme also includes a performance by the 3+kk Theatre entitled ‘Franz Kafka Lives’.
‘Theatre Trips’
A new feature of this year’s festival is the ‘Theatre Trips’ programme. Three productions will be shown with an accompanying programme that the audience will be able to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. On 7 May, the festival will take theatre fans to the New Stage of the National Theatre, where they will see the performance ‘Wernisch’, starring David Prachař and Sasha Rashilov. The final event of this kind in this year’s programme will be a trip on 21 June to the iconic Rotating Auditorium in Český Krumlov, where they will see the South Bohemian Theatre’s production of ‘Sense and Sensibility’. The ticket price includes a ticket to the performance, travel by organised public transport, and access to an on-site accompaniment programme.
Tickets for all performances are available to purchase online via the festival website, in advance at the Brno National Theatre Customer Centre, and at the participating theatres’ pre-sale points.
- Brno Daily is a media partner of Divadelní Svět Brno.
