Wuthering Heights

WUTHERING HEIGHTS A new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s once-scandalous novel in a visually and intellectually compelling interpretation by the young Czech director Jakub Šmíd, one of the finest Czech theatre creators of his generation. In collaboration with the remarkable Czech artist and scenographer Petr Vítek, Šmíd has created a stage poem about hatred, unfulfilled love and the longing to love. Alongside his distinctive directorial vision, he is also notable for his detailed and precise work with actors. Outstanding performances are therefore another major strength of this production, which has been warmly received not only by theatre critics but, above all, by audiences.

This production of Wuthering Heights is far more than a story of passion and hatred set against the backdrop of a bleak, unforgiving landscape. It also speaks to a number of urgent contemporary issues: the rejection of those of different ethnicity, rivalry, envy, the desire for revenge, and the struggle with one’s own ego. It also explores a woman’s search for self-determination in a world mostly run by men. And in the character of Hindley’s son Hareton – whom Heathcliff, driven by revenge and perhaps by his own sense of being an outsider, deliberately denies an education – the production reveals one of today’s most pressing social problems: the frustration born of limited educational opportunities and failure, passed down from one generation to the next like a congenital disease.
MICHAELA SVOBODOVÁ, Česká televize

Jakub Šmíd, who directed this stage adaptation of Wuthering Heights, possesses an exceptional artistic sensibility. His productions are strikingly visual, built on meticulous lighting design and a compelling musical score. He moves inventively between genres while demonstrating a remarkable ability to shape mise-en-scène and draw nuanced performances from his actors. This artistic approach is no doubt rooted in his training. He studied acting at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno before going on to study directing at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague. (…) In recent years, he has firmly established himself on the Czech theatre scene. His series of acclaimed productions began two years ago at Laterna Magika with an adaptation of Vítězslav Nezval’s surrealist poem Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, followed by Medea at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre and Patriots at the National Theatre Brno. All of these productions were created in collaboration with set designer Petr Vítek. Together, they display an exceptional command of theatrical space, visual symbolism and unconventional stage design. In Wuthering Heights, they have given this familiar tale, set amid the dramatic Yorkshire moors, a vivid and thoroughly contemporary stage life. From the very first moment, the production captivates with its imaginative visual language, dynamic energy, and the originality with which it interprets the text, capturing its atmosphere through richly evocative symbolism.
JANA MACHALICKÁ, Divadelní noviny

JAKUB ŠMÍD (1984) is a Czech director focusing on contemporary interpretations of classical plays. After completing his studies of drama at JAMU, he was engaged at the Goose on a String Theatre. He portrayed Shakespeare’s Macbeth (May I Have this Dance, Lady? Macbeth.; directed by Martin Huba), Adolf Eichmann (The Gospel of St. Luke; written and directed by Jan Antonín Pitínský) or Ganya (Prince Myshkin is an Idiot; directed by Vladimír Morávek, as part of the Hundred Years of the Cobra project). Later he studied directing at FAMU under Věra Chytilová and Bohdan Sláma. His bachelor-degree film Non-swimmers won the Magnesia Award for the best student film of 2011. He graduated the master’s programme with the film Amanitas, nominated for the same award in 2015. His feature film debut was Laputa. Šmíd’s second feature film Short Cut, an adaptation of the book To Disappear by Petra Soukupová, was presented in international premiere within the main competition of the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam. His first theatre direction was the production The Night of the Tribades at the Jára Cimrman Theatre in Žižkov in 2015. From 2017 to 2023, Šmíd was the artistic director of the D21 theatre in Vinohrady, where he directed productions such as The Sorrows of Young Werther, War with the Newts, Ubu the King, Crime and Punishment, Froth of the Daydream and others. Apart from his home stage, he also collaborated with the Lampion puppet theatre in Kladno (The Little Tree, The Edward Case), the Kladno Municipal Theatre (Anna Karenina) and the Prague City Theatres (Obsession). He went freelance as a director in September 2023, and his first project was Valerie and Her Week of Wonders prepared for the Laterna Magika company at the National Theatre New Stage. In April 2024, his critically acclaimed production Medea premiered at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava. To the 2025 Divadlo International Theatre Festival, he brought his award-winning production of Patriots by the National Theatre Brno.

DRAMA COMPANY, J. K. TYL THEATRE The Company is an established ensemble of actors whose long-term collaboration has shaped its distinctive artistic identity and stage presence. It brings together accomplished performers with many years of experience alongside younger actors contributing fresh perspectives, new themes and creative energy. The company’s repertoire spans Czech and world classics, stage adaptations of literary works, and contemporary plays responding to pressing social issues. It works regularly with a diverse range of directors, from practitioners of psychologically grounded realism to artists exploring visually bold, physically expressive and contemporary theatrical languages. This breadth of artistic approaches results in productions that appeal both to audiences drawn to classical theatre and to those seeking more experimental or innovative work. The company is also committed to engaging with young audiences through productions created specifically for them, complemented by a wide range of educational programmes. The Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre is the fourth-largest theatre in the Czech Republic. As the principal cultural institution of Plzeň and the wider West Bohemian region, it combines a rich Czech theatrical tradition with a forward-looking artistic vision, serving as a natural meeting place for audiences and the performing arts. Within the Czech Republic, it is recognised as one of the country’s leading regional theatres, distinguished by its long history, artistic ambition and consistently high standards.