All of Prague’s a Stage this Spring

The Czechs are a theater-going culture no doubt about it, but if you haven’t quite grasped the language enough to hear Havel performed in his mother tongue, where does that leave you?

With a myriad of options. A recent upswing in English-friendly productions and newly subtitled original Czech plays all mean that spring is prime time for theater lovers in Prague.

“It is believed that Robert Browne’s acting troupe perhaps gave the first performances of Shakespeare’s plays in English in Prague as early as 1596. Historical accounts confirm that Brown and his men returned to Prague to play in English in 1603 and then later in 1619.”

Ms. Schatzová confirms that Prague is a world destination for all things Shakespearean in 2016, which commemorates the poet’s 400th birthday.

PSC performances, which include non-Shakespeare works like David Ives’ “Venus in Furs,” take place at the historic Divadlo Kolowrat, Estates Theatre, and, occasionally, in the Kolowrat’s Swan pub.

Translator and cast member Brian Stewart says that it isn’t just native speakers who benefit from the current proliferation of English-friendly stage productions:

“It opens your production to a wider audience…This gives our company a huge amount of extra satisfaction because we are able to extend the reach of Cimrman to a number of people of different nationalities for whom English is their second language.” 

Cimrman in English has become so popular that shows have been added to accomodate demand.

And it’s not just English-language performances that are finding a wider fan base; more and more Czech theaters are beginning to see the value of subtitling their repertoire for foreign audiences.

“We are preparing English subtitles for “Hamlet” by Jan Mikulášek and “Velvet Havel” about president Václav Havel.” 

She says that she has definitely seen an upswing in expat visitors to their theater, particularly for “Europeana” a stage adaptation of a book by Patrik Ouředník about European history.

Those attending any of these diverse performances, however, may notice one striking similarity: the actors. Of the English-theater scene in Prague, Mr. Stewart adds:

“We don’t tread on each other’s toes. Maybe the only conflict we have is that the pool of good English-speaking actors in Prague is finite so we all vie to recruit them for our own productions.” 

Despite the familiar faces popping up (in one week I saw actor Peter Hosking play King Duncan in “Macbeth” and Karel Němec in “North Pole”) Mr. Stewart adds:

“I think you can never have too much theatre and I hope there will be more English theatre in Prague.”