Young theater artists from several countries will perform in Prague
The festival will present theater projects and related discussions moderated by young participants on the topics of solidarity, economy, ecology, fake news, Euroscepticism or anti-fascism.
The festival is the result of the participation of the Club of Young Viewers in the two-year international project EYE–Net 2.0 – European Youth Engagement Network. The festival is organized by Divadlo v Dlouhá, and the National Theater and its course for young theater lovers ND Young and the contemporary art center DOX are also involved in its organization.
Theater groups from the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Slovenia and Serbia will perform their original production. As part of the mentioned two-year project, ensembles made up of students between the ages of 15 and 25 were supposed to create a theater production on a civically engaged theme.
Marshal Koněv’s Last Battle was staged in the Czech Republic, opening up the topic of the need to come to terms with the historical trauma of the Russian occupation, Euroscepticism and the memory of the place of public space. ND Young will present a production of All Comrade’s Work. Among other things, he examines Ferda the ant from Ondřej Sekora’s well-known book and asks whether Ferda was a communist, a prisoner of a Nazi camp, or a funny character for children. The theme of the production is a caricature of totalitarian regimes.
The French group Compagnie de l’Inutile explores the theme of solidarity in the production Let’s turn away from destruction. Young creators from Germany deal with the topic of anti-fascism in the production Why? are investigating the case of a right-wing extremist in Hanau, Germany, who murdered nine people two years ago. In Uncharted Land, the Greek group Polyplanity Productions presents a specific environmental problem and reflects on the fact that the construction of wind farms in Greece has turned out to be a shining example of environmental controversy.
In the production of Associazione Culturale Capotrave/Kilowatt, young creators from Italy explore the problem of consumerism and the real cost of labor through the topic of economy using the example of the production of tomato sauce in the production Do you like tomato sauce? Slovenian creators in the production Někdo rad to fake work with the themes of media, reporting and manipulation.
The Young Theater Club, today the Young Audience Club, was founded in 1964 at the Film Club. For example, Jan Werich or Miroslav Horníček were responsible for its creation. Since 1994, the club has been at the Theater pod Palmovka, and since 2003 it has been given facilities in the Theater in Dlouhá. Today, almost all Prague theaters with a permanent repertoire are involved in the program.
The club offers schoolchildren and students visits to theater performances at reasonable prices and also cooperates with the physically and mentally handicapped. During the year, primary and secondary school students will visit up to six performances in Prague theaters in cooperation with KMD. The club is also involved in international projects.