Description
This project aims to enhance cultural dialogue, strengthen European identity and to help preserve the artistic diversity of theatrical art in Ústecký region. The main goal is to bring quality drama to wide public. The city of Ústí nad Labem lost its stage dedicated to studio drama in the beginning of 2014. Closing down the theatre was sudden and the inhabitants of both the city and the region, despite their solidarity with the theatre company lost their possibility of visiting a permanent professional drama stage. The theatre has always been considered an independent progressive stage and this project supports such reputation. The project focuses on presenting three premiere plays and their subsequent repeat performances (each 9x). The diversity of selected plays and the quality of their performance address the widest public in both Ústí nad Labem and the nearby region. The dramatic theme itself is subtitled "Three different faces of freedom" and follows both the current problems of the region (with one of the highest unemployment rates in the Czech Republic resulting in structural and social problems), and reflects the development of the Czech society in last 25 years. The individual freedom is viewed as rather limited and facing constant dangers ranging from indifference to radical political ideas. The performances offer various viewpoints on the fight for freedom – from the idealistic and hopelessly ridiculous battle (new adaptation of Don Quijote by Miguel de Cervantes), via the fight of the frustrated (premiere "Der Kick" based on an actual event, when a 16 year old boy was killed by his right-wing extremist peers), to the struggle of becoming aware of freedom's boundaries while dealing with a person, who is not able to withstand own situation (new staging of The Castle by Franz Kafka). The dramatic interpretation of this diverse trilogy reflects current trends in dramatic art, such as elements of Cirque Nouveau, light design and video projection.
Summary of project results
The main objective of the project was to support the cultural diversity in Ústí nad Labem through the creation of three unique theater performances and their subsequent production (namely the production of Andres Veiel, Gesine Schmidt: Der Kick, Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quijote and Franz Kafka: The Castle). The project consisted of the premiere and 9 repetitions of each performance. In the context of high interest for the perfomance Der Kick, the project was extended by 2 months with total number of 14 performances of the play Der Kick. The overall objective and outputs of the project were therefore achieved. At the end of the project an annual report was published and a video document was recorded (
https://youtu.be/YigTWR6J8NA). The project helped to preserve the tradition of the Činoherní studio in Ústí nad Labem and made it accessible to the general public. The individual performances were realized in cooperation with members of the broader team of performing arts (directors, actors, dramaturgists, stage designers, costumes and music, etc.), technicians (sound engineer, illuminator, stage technicians, wardrobe, inspiration) and production workers. The project helped to keep the independent drama theater in the town of Ústí nad Labem in the critical period, while the creation of the productions preserved the artistic freedom and the creative cooperation within the implementation team. The purchase of the necessary equipment has generally strengthened the cultural infrastructure in the city, the built-up technical background will be further exploited in accordance with the objectives of the program and the purpose of the project. The project didn´t include cooperation with partner from donor states.
Summary of bilateral results