More information
Description
Theory and Criticism of the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU) in Prague aims to establish a theatre critique center. There are three goals: to assist the professional reflection of regional theatres, to offer students of theory and criticism of theatre practical experience and thus complement their theoretical education at DAMU, and finally to capture and educate new talents to form new generation of professional critics and editors.
The main activities of CriticLab:
- In the two-years period, there will be collaboration with drama theatres. Every year, repertoire of three regional theatres will be reviewed by the experts, and will be connected with internal discussions among the members of the ensemble with evaluators and final public panel discussion.For the first stage of project, three different types of theatres were addressed: Drama Studio Ústí nad Labem, East Bohemian Theater in Pardubice and Horácké Theatre in Jihlava.
- In the two-years period, students from DAMU will work under the tutorial of experienced critics and editors on reflection of selected theatres, see all premieres of chosen theatre, write critical reflections and participate in discussions.
- Students´ texts prepared in connection with the work on critical reflection of theatres and under the guidance of experienced editors will be published on the i-DN website. At the end of each year, the results of this cooperation will be published in an attachment of printed DN.
- Students of DAMU in the position of learners will have the opportunity to get to know the activities of DN.
- Within the project there will be organized the workshops for students and others interested in workoutcomes from critical reflection of theatres, professional competences of expert critic and related contextual topics of theory and practice of professional theatre criticism.
Summary of project results
The project was needed primarily for two reasons: 1. to discover young critics among DAMU students and increase their qualifications, 2. to pay attention to regional theaters. To help solve the lack of theater critics and increase their interest in regional theater. There were also two problems: to involve KritikLab in the teaching of the Department of Theory and Criticism of DAMU, and to overcome the immediate post-covid situation in theaters.
For two theater seasons, DAMU students systematically watched all premieres of selected theaters. They met with the management of the theaters and obtained information about their artistic strategies, especially about the creation of dramaturgical plans, about the ensemble, marketing and work with the audience. Students reflected on all premieres with critical texts under the guidance of experienced editors of the Theater Newspaper - we published all of them on the iDN website. The editors also introduced the students to the practice of publishing Theater Newspapers. In addition to the study program at DAMU, students completed workshops in the field of economics, grants, setting up theaters, as well as in the field of new media in the field of theater criticism. Students, with the support of editors and theater management, held discussions with the ensembles and the audience.
The main output of the project is the improvement of students'' qualifications: introduction of students into critical practice, familiarization with the creation and operation of selected theaters, development of a total of 73 critical texts under the guidance of experienced editors of the Theater Newspaper, training of 67 cultural actors in 5 workshops, realization of 11 discussions of students and editors in theaters. The project increased the interest of DAMU students in writing theater criticism and helped solve the poor staffing situation in the field of theater criticism. He increased interest in the creation of selected regional theaters.