The forum on the future of Prague culture will be held in the Theater under Palmovka
What philosophical and social perspectives do we associate with public cultural institutions such as established theater today, and can the New European Bauhaus initiative serve as a compass for them? What arguments for maintaining public cultural institutions will withstand the current crises, and how should established and independent theater be complemented in the best countries? How can the potential of cultural institutions make better use of cities and communities, and what economic and legislative obstacles do they face? The Forum on the future of culture in Prague with the subtitle Public cultural institution of the 21st century, which will be held in the Theater under Palmovkou, will seek answers to the above-mentioned questions.
The Forum on the Future of Culture Prague arose from the initiative of the Polish theater Teatr Powszechny, which organized the first Forum on the Future of Culture in 2017, as a response to the growing efforts to centralize culture on the part of the national state apparatus. This theater is also a partner of the Prague Forum and its representatives will actively participate in the discussions. another foreign partner is the Ukrainian Jam Factory Art Center from Lviv. The Forum is a safe space for creating a vision of an open, diverse and inclusive culture that responds to the challenges of the 21st century. It initiates collaboration with artists, activists, scientists, politicians and public officials, i.e. people who shape the social imagination through critical analysis. Its main goal is to promote social diversity and civic culture. The crisis in the form of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic has brought the role and importance of culture not only in terms of its immanent value, but also, for example, its therapeutic and social functions.
The program of the two-day conference will be opened on September 20 by Mária Beňačková Rišková, who will give an introductory presentation on the topic of the New European Bauhaus and public cultural institutions. It will be followed by a panel discussion with the following topics: What new institutions does the theater face as a public theater in the 21st century? Stanislav Moša (Association of Professional Theatres), Lenka Havlíková (Divadlo X10), Pawel Lysak (Teatr Powszechny) and Michal Lang (Divadlo pod Palmovkou) will discuss in this block from 10:30. In the afternoon block from 12:00, Václav Janoščík (AVU), Jiří Sulženko (Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the City of Prague), Olga Škochová (ONplanlab) and Maté Gáspár (Budapest) will discuss the general perspective of cultural policy and other fields ) Brand of the non-profit PLC). The first day of the conference will then end with the performance of Divadlo pod Palmovka romeo&julie2022 from 19:00. On Wednesday, September 21, the forum will continue with discussion groups. One of them will focus on the conditions, obstacles, hopes and visions in the field of the economy of established theaters, the other will deal with legislation. Both days will be conducted by the moderators Jan Jiřík and Martina Pecková Černá.
“Prague conducts a lively dialogue with the cultural sector, whether within the framework of the Prague Cultural Forum or during the preparation of cultural policy. I am glad that Divadlo pod Palmovkou, as an institution involved in European cooperation, gives us another opportunity for discussion, in addition to such current topics as the New European Bauhaus and the role of cultural institutions. It is good news that Prague’s cultural “sector contributions” function as a catalyst for change and not as an outdated inertial organization,” he says Jiří Sulženko, director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Capital City of Prague.
“The Association of Professional Theaters of the Czech Republic welcomes the opportunity to lead a debate on topics that can negatively affect artistic work in the field of live art in the Czech Republic. Since the beginning of the nineties, we have been forced to improvise in the legislative chaos that significantly determines our activities. We expect fundamental systemic changes,” he says Stanislav Moša, chairman of the Association of Professional Theaters and director of the National Theater Brno. Director of the Theater under Palmovka, Michal Lang, adds: “We are part of Europe, and that is why I consider it important to exchange experiences with each other and to think together about the direction of European culture.”
The two-day program with many speakers and discussions will bring possible answers to questions about the responsibility and place of cultural institutions in the 21st century, especially theaters, both independent and established states. During the Forum on the future of culture in Prague, together with representatives of public administration and cultural institutions from the Czech Republic and abroad, we focus on the social role and value of public cultural institutions in the 21st century and the economic and legislative conditions for their operation.
You can register on the forum using the form: docs.google.com/forms/registration
You can find information about the Forum on the future of Prague culture, including the program, on the website podpalmovkou.cz/forum-o-budoucnosti-kultury and on Facebook events.
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