The Theatre World Brno festival is one of the most important events of its kind in the Czech Republic. This year’s edition, running from 13-27 May, features a diverse programme that includes theatre, dance, and other performances. Photo: “SYM-PHONIE MMXX” by Sasha Waltz. Credit: Divadelni Svet.
Brno, April 25 (BD) – Brno will become the centre of the theatre world for the 14th time from 13-27 May, as Theatre World Brno (Divadelni Svet), the international festival of performing arts, returns to the city’s theatres and public spaces with several days of drama, chamber projects, dance productions, site-specific performances, and a rich accompanying program.
The event is a collaboration of almost all Brno’s theatres: the Brno National Theatre, the Brno City Theatre, the Goose on a String Theatre, the Polárka Theatre, the Radost Theatre and the stages of the JAMU Theater Faculty: Studio Marta and the Orlí Theatre. Together, they will present more than 70 performances. The festival begins on 13-14 May with Theatre X10’s trilogy “Waiting Room” at the Goose on a String Theatre.
One of the primary attractions of the event is the lineup of overseas shows, led this year by a dance performance by German choreographer Sasha Waltz and her group in the Janácek Theatre with a spectacular performance of her “SYM-PHONIE MMXX”.
According to Barbara Gregorová, the festival’s head dramaturg, this year’s event is partly dedicated to the emerging Polish director Jakub Skrzywanek: “We will present two of his shows to the audience: “The Death of John Paul II” and “SPARTAKUS. Love in the Time of Plague”, as well as an extraordinary production, “Sex Education”, from the theatre in Szczecin where Jakub Skrzywanek is the creative director.”
“The Death of John Paul II” will be performed at the Mahen Theatre. This documentary production is created from the diaries, biographies and memories of those who accompanied Pope John Paul II on his final journey, with the aim of conveying to the audience the greatness of the simplicity of dying in all its rawness.
Also on the program will be Germany’s Theater Bremen, who will take to the stage at the Goose on a String Theatre with their interpretation of “Moby Dick”, the famous novel by Herman Melville.
This year’s edition will also feature a guest appearance from the Habima National Theatre of Israel, with the production “He Whom My Soul Loves”. This topical production, based on a text by renowned Israeli author Itay Segal, stars Amit Rahav, known to Czech audiences from the Netflix series Unorthodox.
The festival is also collaborating with the Tanec Praha festival on a production by Italian choreographer Silvia Gribaudi entitled “Where does a ballet end?”, which will be performed as part of the June epilogue.
Alongside the stage-based part of the festival, the program also includes a variety of interactive events and site-specific dramatic productions, including the group larp game “Theatre is You…”, where participants can experience the harsh reality of starting a career as a freelance actor. Families with children can join a fun and engaging fairy tale walk in Lužánky Park, entitled “Dlouhý, Široký a Bystrozraký”, based on Karel Jaromír Erben’s classic fairy tale, and as the festival comes to a close, there will be a site-specific theatrical trip to Zlín to witness the production “Bata III” by the Zlín Municipal Theatre, a story about the son of the founder of the Tomáš Bata shoe company, complete with a guided tour of the Tomáš Bata Memorial, a stunning architectural masterpiece designed by František Lýdia Gahura.
The International Theatre World Brno Festival will take place from 13-27 May 2023. For the complete festival program, more information about all the performances, and to purchase tickets, see the festival website.
Tickets for all performances and accompanying events can also be purchased at the customer centre of the Brno National Theatre, at pre-sale points of participating theatres, and through the Ticketportal network.
