Wernisch

WERNISCH The works of Ivan Wernisch, a poet, translator, editor, journalist, pundit, mystifier, solitaire, wanderer and dreamer, viewed through the lens of his friend, director Jan Nebeský. Wernisch’s seemingly simple, yet elusive and refined verse, his secular and spiritual poetry, words masked as earthy mockery and wistful confessions of uncertainty and longing, a candid celebration of words and rhythm, new bursts of meanings, sparks of the birth and death of worlds. Beloved poems, forgotten poems, unknown texts and new works written especially for this production. And above all, a dream and word that will materialise in a magical ritual called ‘theatre’, as a celebration of one of the most important living Czech poets.

The way Jan Nebeský makes theatre is far from any calculated arrangements. He plays with uncertainty. Instead of planning beforehand, he lets the production being created organically, convinced that where a group of the right people who embrace the text and present moment meet and do what they are supposed to do, the theatre simply happens to be.
MARIE RESLOVÁ, Aktuálně.cz

David Prachař is deadpan and ironically reserved, Robert Mikluš counters him with unrestrained comic sketches, Saša Rašilov and Filip Kaňkovský play the lyrical and naive tunes of the mosaic of Wernisch’s poems, Pavla Beretová seasons it with tenderness and cynical ruthlessness, and the notable Lucie Trmíková portrays a whole colour palette at once. (…) While Wernisch surely is not a catch-all production, those who have not lost the ability to play and listen to the word will enjoy it intensely.
RADMILA HRDINOVÁ, novinky.cz

JAN NEBESKÝ (1953) is a Czech theatre director and teacher. He studied direction at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU) in Prague. His direction of Ernst Jandl’s Aus der Fremde at Prague’s Theatre on the Balustrade won the Alfréd Radok Award for Best Production of the Year in 2004. Since 2002, when the Komedie Theatre company was dissolved, Jan Nebeský has been freelance, working at the Studio Hrdinů, the National Theatre and other Prague theatres (he also works with the company 420PEOPLE and Studio DAMÚZA, as well as Theatre in Dlouhá and the Palmovka Theatre). In 2004, he started to teach directing at the DAMU Department of Dramatic Theatre. In 2011 he founded JEDL with Lucie Trmíková and David Prachař. Jan Nebeský exhibits an exceptional stage imagination, finding his way to the content of texts with the aid of artistic symbols, absurd shortcuts, and stylised, expressive acting. His productions are formed by a pleiad of unexpected ideas, a specific atmosphere and style. Nebeský’s theatre uses layer upon layer of meaning, runs into free association, combines themes in a collage-like way and works with the set, text and actors with unusual imagination.

NT DRAMA Given the tradition, historical milestones and social context of the National Theatre, major part of the Drama repertoire is composed of classical Czech and foreign plays. Yet, the National Theatre is not a mere museum or a conservative scene. It takes pride in co-operating with outstanding Czech directors and foreign artists of contemporary theatre. The NT Drama presents their repertoire at three distinctive venues. Its historical Neo-Renaissance building represents one of the national emblems and symbols of the Czech culture and independent Czech nation, and, therefore, it attracts regular visitors from all over the country. A large part of the repertoire is staged in the Estates Theatre, where Mozart once conducted his opuses. Recently, the NT Drama has returned with productions to the State Opera, which was built as a German theatre in the 1880’s. The State Opera was and remains the largest theatre venue in Prague in terms of its seating capacity. The NT Drama premieres six to seven productions annually and also offers a wide range of side events and educational programmes. Among others, it organises the Prague Crossroads theatre festival.

JEDL Jan Nebeský, Lucie Trmíková, and David Prachař are artists and friends who, in 2011, founded JEDL as a platform for independent, auteur-style theatre. The company currently profiles itself as an independent, alternative theatre presenting original works. Their production is shaped by collaboration with creatives and performers from diverse fields of art (theatre, dance, music, fine arts). The resulting stagings, thus, combine elements of various genres, creating a novel and distinctive context within the framework of Czech contemporary theatre. Their programming strategy builds on two basic pillars: transcendence – in the sense of crossing boundaries – and experimentation – in the sense of combining diverse forms.