GENERATION ICONS
GENERATION ICONS in
(Central) Europe
Main Organizer:
Letí
Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic (www.divadlo-leti.cz)
Co-organisers:
Wiener Wortstätten,
Vienna, Austria (www.wortstaetten.at)
GUnaGU
Theatre, Bratislava, Slovak Republic (www.gunagu.sk)
Arts and
Theatre Institute, Prague, Czech Republic (www.idu.cz)
Associated partners:
Teatre de Ponent,
Barcelona-Granollers, Spain (www.teatredeponent.com)
Gate
Theatre, London, Great Britain (www.gatetheatre.co.uk)
Time frame of the project:
June 15,
2011 – June, 14, 2013
Project Generation Icons in (Central) Europe
Project
Generation Icons in (Central) Europe is an initiative of European theatres that
focuses on contemporary drama in their artistic concept. The aim of the project
is to create an international network for support, production and mobility of
contemporary drama and progressive theatre dramaturgy in Europe.
Topic of Generation Icons in (Central) Europe
The project
keynote is the “generation icons”. The theme was chosen due to the fact that it
is a central contrast on which international cooperation is based. On the one
hand, the theatres that function as project co-organizers are geographically
very close to each other (Prague, Bratislava, Vienna). On the other hand, despite
this vicinity and a common regional context of Central Europe, all the three
countries reside in very different cultural contexts nowadays. This situation
arises from history, modern development, language difference, contemporary
social, political and arts reality etc. The topic of generation icons can be
viewed as a ground on which these differences can be shown. Not only is this
topic attractive for artists and their cooperation, but it is also a theme that
is crucial for European cooperation surpassing Central Europe. Therefore the
project also involves geographically more distant theatres from Great Britain
and Spain as partners, which are bringing new meanings into central European
dialogue in the form of new dramatic writings and co-produced stagings.
Schedule of the project Generation Icons in
(Central) Europe
June, 16 – 17, 2011
DRAMplan2011 symposium
DRAMplan2011 Symposium is an international meeting of
playwrights, literary managers, translators, festival programmers and
representatives of theatre agencies. The main aim of the meeting is exchange of
experience in production and staging of national and foreign contemporary drama
from the point of view of a playwright, literary manager and
translator/theatre agent/festival programmer. DRAMplan 2011 Symposium
takes place within the accompanying program of the Prague Quadrennial PQ+.
November, 2011 – June, 2012
Public discussions
Public
discussions on the topic of “generation icons” in the Czech Republic, Austria
and Slovakia via new media (blog, Facebook, public inquiries).
See also:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Divadlo-Let%C3%AD/216503611749578
September, 2011 –
June, 2012
Playwrights
residencies
Resident I:
Viliam Klimáček (SK) in Wiener Worstaetten (AT)
Resident
II: Petr Kolečko (CZ) GUnaGU Theatre (SK)
Resident
III: Bernhard Studlar (AT) in Letí Theatre (CZ)
Resident IV:
Jonay Roda Férez (SP) in Teatre de Ponent
June, 2012 – December, 2012
Directors residencies
Resident I:
Martina Schlegelová (CZ) in Wiener Worstätten (AT)
Resident
II: Hans Escher (AT) in GUnaGU Theatre (SK)
Resident
III: Marian Amsler (SK) in Theatre Letí (CZ)
September – November, 2012
Openings of the coproduction stagings
October, 2012, Letí Theatre in Divadlo Na prádle, Prague
Bernhard
Studlar: I-Play, direction: Marián
Amsler
November, 7,
2012, Wiener Wortstätten in Theater an der Gumpendorferstrasse, Vienna
Viliam Klimáček: Kill Hill™, direction: Martina Schlegelová,
November,
2012, GUnaGU Theatre,
Bratislava
Petr
Kolečko: The Queen, direction: Hans
Escher
April, 2012 – January, 2013
Stage reading series
Letí
Theatre, Prague
Wiener
Wortstätten, Vienna
GUnaGU Theatre,
Bratislava
Arts and
Theatre Institute, Prague
Teatre de Ponent,
Barcelona-Granollers
Gate
Theatre, London, Great Britain
September, 2012 – March 2013
Publications
Publication
of anthologies of the plays developed in frame of the project Generation Icons
in (Central) Europe in Czech-Slovak, German, Spanish and English version.
May – June, 2012
Showcase
A showcase of the resulting Czech-Slovak-Austrian
co-productions in Brno.
Information about theatres which participate in the project “Generation Icons in (Central) Europe”
Main Organizer:
Letí Theatre
Letí
Theatre originated in September 2005. Its main artistic program is production
and active support and development of contemporary drama. Contemporary plays
are an essential part of live art that reflects current needs of its viewers.
Theatre Letí has staged more than 50 new plays (19 stagings and 37 scenic
sketches) in Czech cultural environment with the motto "Discover Passion
for New Plays" for 5 years of its existence. Letí focuses on cooperation
with young Czech playwrights, actors, directors etc – many of them are
considered to be significant talents of their generation. Letí has created a
dynamically growing audience (an average visit rate was 89,31% in 2009). The
theatre is regularly invited to Czech and foreign festivals and it is popular
with professionals as well. Letí currently produces stagings, it provides
artistic residencies for Czech and foreign playwrights, it initiates the origin
of stagings of contemporary plays, it organizes a showcase of stagings of
contemporary plays from the Czech Republic and abroad and it also deals with
professional reflection and active work with audience. The main project of
Theatre Letí for 2012-2013 (and we suppose its continuation in the following
years) is the Centre for Contemporary Drama. The mission of the CCD is to
guarantee the development of Czech drama as well as mutual cooperation with
other EU states to ensure circulation of contemporary European plays.
Co-organisers:
GUnaGU theatre
GUnaGU
theatre is a professional alternative ensemble that addresses mostly young
people. GUnaGU originated in 1985 and it has staged more than forty premieres.
The significant feature of "Made in GUnaGU" plays is humour –
sometimes black and cool that describes value and emotional disturbance of the
beginning of the third millennium. GUnaGU creates author plays written directly
for actors. It changes the method of collective creation in its dramaturgy but
it also stages demanding contemporary plays that are based especially on the
text. Fragmentary composition from short scenes inspired by videos and editing
montage of the movie is typical for GUnaGU performances. Theatre relies on
professionals – graduates from art schools from Bratislava and Prague but you
can find here also talented non-actors, original personalities who enrich
GUnaGU's atmosphere with the real taste of human fun house. About one hundred
thousand viewers have seen GUnaGU not only in Bratislava but also on tours in
Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy.
Wiener Wortstätten
Wiener
Wortstätten is a unique, intercultural author-theatre-project, launched in 2005
by Hans Escher and Bernhard Studlar, which encourages discussion and networking
between Austrian and international authors. Centred around authors originating
mostly from Eastern Europe who live in Vienna, whose native language is not
German but who write in German, an international network has been created over
the years to establish an intercultural exchange and a centre for contemporary
European drama in Vienna. Wiener Wortstätten see themselves as a research
laboratory, as mediators between the theatre business and the writing desk. As
part of dealing with global themes such as home and faith, power, migration and
the working environment, new texts for the stage need to be created and new
methods of dramatic translation must be found. The goal of the project Wiener
Wortstätten is the long term promotion and support of theatre authors.
The Arts and Theatre InstituteThe Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) is a state-funded organization established by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1959 as the Theatre Institute. In 2007 the institute changed its name to the Arts and Theatre Institute. The mission ofthe Arts and Theatre Institute is to provide the Czech and international public with a comprehensive range of services in the field of theatre and individual services connected to other branches of the arts (music, literature, dance and visual arts). The ATI collects objects and work relating to the theatre, processes and provides access to them, pursuesresearch, initiates and participates in international projects, and publishes scholarly work. The Arts and Theatre Institute is an organisation experienced in coordination of international projects such as symposia, conferences, meetings and other projects and further the most imporant publishing house in the field of the theatre literature in the Czech Republic. The ATI takes part in the theoretical part and reflection of the project „Generation Icons in (Central) Europe“. Its role is mainly the coordination of the international meeting of playwrights, literary managers, translators, festival programmers and representatives of theatre agencies scheduled as the kick-off event of the project. The ATI also cooperates in the publishing activities in frame of the project „Generation Icons in (Central) Europe“, especially in the publication of the new theatre plays and their translations into Czech, Slovak, German, English and Spanish.
Associated partners:
Gate Theatre
The Gate Theatre has a distinguished reputation that far exceeds its
size. It is London's only producing theatre dedicated to international
work. From humble beginnings it has developed a significant renown
throughout London, as well as nationally and internationally. In 1979 the Gate
was founded by Lou Stein, over the Prince Albert pub, in Notting Hill Gate. It
set about a unique pursuit of the original, of plays and playwrights unknown on
British stages, and of artists whose talent deserved to be discovered. With an
average seating capacity of 70, the Gate is small but ambitious. The space has
challenged and inspired directors, designers, writers and performers for
over 30 years, making it famous for being one of the most flexible and
transformable spaces in London. The Gate is a springboard - our aim is to give
emerging artists the opportunity to take risks, to excel and to make their
mark.
Teatre de Ponent
The Ponent theatre offers to its public a wide range of
activities. It is focussed on new texts, productions for children, educative
and international project. The Ponent theatre is member of the network Teatre
Independents de Catalunya.
Information about artists participating in the
"Generation Icons in (Central) Europe" project
Playwrights:
Petr Kolečko (*1984, Czech Republic)
Petr Kolečko studied dramaturgy and playwrighting at the
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. His play Britney Goes to Heaven (2006) was produced by the Divadlo Petra
Bezruče. It was translated into English, and a rehearsed reading was performed
in December 2007 by the Immigrants Theatre Project in New York’s Public Theater.
In 2008, he won a month-long International Residency at the Royal Court Theatre
in London. Since September 2009 he has been the Artistic Director of one of
Prague’s best fringe stages, A-studio Rubín. The theatre has already produced
five of his plays, of which The Salome
Case (Kauza Salome, 2009) was nominate for the prestigeous Alfréd Radok
Award for the Best Czech play in 2009. Recently he has also cooperated with
director Tomáš Svoboda on two plays which have won big popular success: Jaromír Jágr, the Kladno Lad (Jaromír
Jágr, Kladeňák, 2009) is a show inspired by the personality of the famous Czech
hockey player, Porn Stars
(Pornohvězdy, 2009) is a musical set in the world of the porn video industry.
Bernhard Studlar (* 1972, Austria)
Bernhard
Studlar studied "scenic writing" at Universitaet der Künste in
Berlin. Since 2000, he has been working as a playwright and co-author of plays
with Andreas Sauter. He has been awarded prestigious awards like
Kleist-Förderpreis a Preis des Heidelberger Stückemarktes. He is an initiator
of the project Wiener Wortstätten.
Viliam Klimáček (*1958, Slovakia)
After studying medicine at Charles University,
Viliam Klimáček worked as a surgeon and anaesthesiologist, but after nine years
he ceased practising medicine and began to work solely in the theatre. He lives
in Bratislava. He is a six-time winner of the prestigious Alfréd Radok Award
for best Czech or Slovak Play. Most recently he this year won the top Alfréd
Radok Award for his play Who’s Afraid of the Beatles. Since 1985 he has worked
as the artistic director of the alternative authorial theatre GUnaGU, for which
he writes, directs, and occasionally even performs.
Jonay Roda Férez (* 1974)
Jonay Roda Férez was born in Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria. He graduated in Physical Ciences at the Universitat Autònoma de
Barcelona, where he also realized his PhD studies. As playwright he
participated in playwriting workshops by Enric Nolla in the Teatre de Ponent,
by Paco Zarzoso in the Teatre de Ponent and by José Sanchis Sinisterra in the
Sala Beckett. He es author of a number of theatre adaptation of classical
literature works for the Teatre de Ponent and author of plays for children,
youth and adults.
Directors:
Martina Schlegelová (* 1981, Czech Republic)
Martina Schlegelová studied dramaturgy and
directing of drama theatre at DAMU in Prague. She has worked for many
independent theatres during her theatre studies and in 2006, she found her
place in Theatre Letí because they share "passion for new plays". She
worked for municipal theatres as well – in Klicpera Theatre in Hradec Králové
and Slovácko Theatre in Uherské Hradiště. She has been working at the Theory
and Critic Department at DAMU since September 2007. She does translations from
English – she focuses on contemporary British playwrights. She is now an
artistic director of the LETÍ Theatre.
Hans Escher (* 1956, Austria)
Hans Escher studied acting in Max Reinhardt
seminar in Vienna. Since 1987, he has been working as a director. He founded
“Stark bezetzt” ensemble. From 1990 to 1998, he was a director in Theater der
Jugend and from 1999 to 2002 he was a residential director in Theater Freiburg.
He has been a guest-director in Schauspielhaus Zürich, Stadttheater Bern,
Staatstheater Kassel, Volkstheater Wien.
Marián Amsler
(* 1979, Slovakia)
Marián Amsler studied drama directing at the University of Performing Arts in
Bratislava. Since 2002, he has been directing in professional theatres and
alternative spaces in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. He focuses on staging
contemporary texts. He has received many awards – for instance, A. P. Chekhov –
Platonov (a graduation staging at
UPA, DOSKY 2003 award for the newcomer of the season and other awards at
festivals in Brno, Warsaw and Prague), Olya Muchin: Tanya –Tanya (at Studio 12, nomination for the DOSKY 2002 award for
the newcomer of the season), Olya Muchin: You
(Arena Theatre, a bonus for directing by the Literary Fund). He cooperates with
many theatres, e.g. Arena Theatre in Bratislava, Slovak National Theatre in
Bratislava etc. He is now an artistic director of the HaTheatre in Brno.
The
project Generation Icons in (Central Europe) has been funded with support from the European Commission. The project
reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
