RESURRECTION Katyusha Maslova, 27-year-old prostitute accused of murder, and Prince Nekhlyudov, a wealthy military officer, meet at a court. Their random encounter revives the past and shapes the future. The complex personal and love story of Prince Nekhlyudov holds up a mirror to the system, society and the Church, and raises moral and existential questions. Resurrection is the last of Tolstoy’s novels and the one that is most relevant to today’s world. The story begins in the 19th century Moscow and ends in an unspecified place and time, in nothingness. The Theatre on the Balustrade presents the extensive work of the great Russian writer in a stage adaptation by contemporary German playwright Armin Petras. The captivating story, outstanding actors’ performances and the multi-layered black and white set together create an extraordinary piece of theatre that captures the social reality of a country where everyone cares only for themselves, and everything that is said about God is nothing but deception.
The Theatre on the Balustrade presented a new premiere in a short time that I consider to be another of its masterpieces – Resurrection. Tolstoy’s opus magnum adapted by Armin Petras and staged by Jan Mikulášek. A comprehensive experience with outstanding performances from all the actors. One of the highlights of the current era of theatre.
– JAN HŘEBEJK, twitter.com
JAN MIKULÁŠEK (1978) He worked as the artistic director of the Polárka Theatre in Brno and later also as the artistic head of the Petr Bezruč Theatre. He also cooperated with the Reduta Theatre in Brno on a regular basis. In 2013, when Petr Štědroň, artistic head of the Reduta Theatre, took over as head of the Theatre on the Balustrade, Mikulášek became its in-house director. With the Theatre on the Balustrade, he won the 2011 Divadelní noviny Award for Best Creative Achievement in the drama category for his production of The V+W Letters. In 2013, his production of The Golden Sixties won the Alfréd Radok Foundation Award for Best Play; and in 2018, he received the Divadelní noviny Award for Best Creative Achievement in the drama category for his production of Woodcutters. In that same year, he also took home the Josef Balvín Award for that same production from the Prague German Language Theatre Festival. In addition to the Theatre on the Balustrade, he collaborates with other theatres, recently with the National Theatre (The Cremator, Maryša, Wonderful Land, I Am the State) and in particular with the Goose on a String Theatre (Don Quixote, Dictionary of the Khazars). In the last season, he created a stage collage of Finnish short stories Bear with a Chainsaw (Theatre on the Balustrade), a stage adaptation of a contemporary Czech novel Preparing for Everything (Masopust Theatre) and, last but not least, Petras’ Resurrection. Mikulášek’s directorial approach frequently involves stage adaptations of novels, original scripts, and original theatre plays. He often employs cuts, detail, musical contrapposto, and parallel action. What interests him most about theatre are the contrasts – the tension between precision and sloppiness, the mechanical and the authentic, and frenzy and calm.
THEATRE ON THE BALUSTRADE The theatre’s long tradition has involved a number of distinguished figures, with those who have passed through the theatre including Václav Havel, Ivan Vyskočil, Jan Grossman, Evald Schorm and Petr Lébl. Since its creation the Theatre on the Balustrade has played a significant role in the country’s social and cultural context. It has created numerous productions that have represented the Czech Republic abroad and is home to a pleiad of notable actors. Since the 2013/2014 season, the theatre has been headed by Petr Štědroň, Dora Štědroňová and Jan Mikulášek, who are inclined towards irregular dramaturgy and original theatre. After 2017, following a successful renovation, the Theatre on the Balustrade continued to produce work that has met with acclaim from both audiences and critics. David Jařab’s production Macbeth – Too Much Blood was declared Production of the Year of 2017 in the Theatre Critics’ Survey. Jan Mikulášek’s Woodcutters won the Josef Balvín Award, Production of the Year at the Divadelní noviny Awards, and Best Set Design of 2018 in the Theatre Critics’ Survey. In addition to intensive touring across the Czech Republic, the theatre has conducted successful foreign tours all over Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Poland and Hungary) and The V+W Letters was shown in the Czech House in New York.
