Geisslers will bring the theater to the historical palaces of the National Gallery in Prague
In a street performance with stilts and live puppets, The Little Stories of the Great Count will present the virtues and pettiness of Count Sporek, one of the greatest Sabbaths of Baroque Bohemian art and the founder of the Kuks Spa. Workshops for children with and without parents will follow the spectacle for the whole family in the garden of the Sternberg Palace.
On Sunday, Geisslers will first present a novelty called Dryáčnice, a street celebration of Count Šporek and his spa in Kuks. The theatrical duel between the doctor and the ointment man at one table at the tempo of the comedy dell’arte was loosely based on the original screenplay Dryáčník from 1611. After the performance, children and adults can enjoy a workshop inspired by theater and art from the National Gallery collection. The workshop of NGP teachers for children will also follow on from the street production Orbis pictus, which features several paintings from the famous textbook of the eponymous teacher JA Komenský. As part of the ticket for each performance, it is possible to visit the collection exhibition.
On Tuesday evening, June 7, a half-stage performance of Roman Lucretia awaits all lovers of opera and fine arts. A newly-baroque site-specific opera by the contemporary composer Tomáš Hanzlík (Ensemble Damian) based on a surviving baroque libretto by Heinrich Rademin to a parody opera on an ancient theme from 1731 using a live chamber orchestra, a boys’ choir, is followed by a guided tour of the Old Masters exhibition. Bruncvík and actor-singers of the ensemble Geisslers Hofcomoedianten.
The last days of the Roman Kingdom are marked by struggles, intrigue and pettiness. A self-proclaimed king must be deposed to bring morale back to the land! Let the scholars rule and the brave warriors fight. And let women not act when nothing really happened. The story of the relationships of a closed society against the background of the story of the dishonor of the beautiful Lucretia. The performance was created in collaboration with the ensemble Tiger in Need, the Ensemble Damian orchestra and the Bruncvík Boys’ Choir. The event takes place in cooperation with the National Gallery in Prague and Geisslers Hofcomoedianten. Tickets can be purchased on the National Gallery websiteas well as on the spot before the event.
Geisslers Hofcomoedianten is a contemporary playful theater inspired by the Baroque. However, they do not seek to reconstruct the original Baroque plays and give the model a contemporary dimension, emerging timeless themes, forgotten stories, references to famous theater personalities and parallels between the past and the present. Since 2014, Geisslers have been regularly performing on the stage of the VILA Štvanice Theater, where they have also been organizing the VILOmeniny festival for families with children since 2015. Since its inception, the Geisslers have been a part of THEATRUM KUKS Baroque Theater and Music Festival. Every summer, the ensemble tours across the Czech Republic and, under the banner of the Festival of Castle and Monastery Theaters, revives places with a theatrical history.
All information and tickets can be found at www.ngprague.cz/vystavy-a-akce/ngp-a-geisslers-hofcomoedianten-uvadejipossibly in facebook events.