What's On: Autumn 2013 Arts Preview

Cultural festivals

Next Wave [Příští Vlna] Festival
Prague 
Sept 28-Oct 6
Twentieth annual meeting of theatre, music, dance, literature, art and more. An opportunity for the local alternative arts community to showcase theatre in all its various mutations – dance, movement, action, physical, visual and otherwise. 

Zažít město jinak “Experience the City Differently”
Sept 21
Experience Prague differently in over 30 places all around the city. Local organizers are preparing great programs in the streets of Prague, including street picnics, games for children, performances, live music, art workshops, etc. Full list of districts taking part and their individual programmes can be found on-line.

Vladimír 518 and David Vrbík: Můj pes má hlad “My dog is hungry”
Oct 3, 20:00
Studio Hrdinů
Veletržní palác, Dukelských hrdinů 530/47, Praha 7
Audiovisual performance piece exploring the differences between the nightclub and theatre environments. Video, laser projections and dance. 

The Stranger Gets a Gift Service: Research Project Vernissage 
C. Maldonado, B. Lacktorin, K. Fojtíková & J. Serran
Sept 27, 19:00
Alfred ve dvoře theatre, Františka Křížka 36, 
Praha 7

Can Art be a Service? The Stranger Gets a Gift Service explores role of art in addressing personal and existential needs.  Can art be a service? Can being moved be treated as an essential need that can be met, provided, systematized and organized? Sound and visual installations.

Czech theatres with English-friendly options

Národní divadlo
The city’s national theatre offers many non-verbal and English-friendly options as part of their repertoire. Here are a few suggestions from their ballet programme. 

Swan Lake 
Sept 22, 25, 27, Oct 16 and 26
The classic tale is brought to life on the Czech stage.

Goldilocks
Oct 6
Child-friendly production with matinee performances.

Swan Lake at Národní divadlo

Alfred ve dvoře Divadlo
As well as hosting some of the events taking place as part of the Next Wave festival (see above), this exciting alternative theatre also has a range of non-verbal performances with no language barrier this season 

Le Poids Du Vide – Compagnie des Pieds Perchés
Oct 5, 20:00
Contemporary circus performance from Switzerland

Say Something – Boca Loca Lab
Oct 26, 20:00
Premiere of a new Czech theatre piece which explores the origins of human communicateion. Expect to be entertained by a non-verbal language of “rasps and growls, chattering, rhythm variations, whoops and hollers”.

Švandovo Divadlo 
The famous Andel theatre offers a full programme of performances with English surtitles including the premiere of the Danish play The Builders October 15, and an adaptation of the Norwegian film The Art of Negative Thinking Sept 27. For a full list of the English-friendly options visit their site.

Strangers on a Train at Švandovo Theatre

Divadlo Archa
The long-running contemporary art space Archa hosts a number of experimental performances over the coming months ranging from naked dancing to fluffy toys! 

The Modesty of Icebergs – Daniel Léveillé Danse
Sept 27-28, 20:00
Expect nudity in this thought-provoking dance performance exploring the vulnerability of the human condition.

English-language productions

Prague Shakespeare Company
An exciting new season of productions from one of the city’s longest-running theatre companies. This year they are expanding on their exiting new collaboration with the National Theatre and continuing their international partnerships with Main Street Theater Company in Houston, Texas. 

All performances at Divadlo Kolowrat. 

Henry V
Oct 4, 6, 9, 11, 14, 19
19:00

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
Oct 12, 13, 23; Dec 5, 8, 12
19:00

The Duchess of Malfi, Prague Shakespeare Company

Cymbeline
Oct 29, 30, 31; Nov 13, 14, 18, 19
19:00

Macbeth
Nov 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 21, 22
19:00

The Duchess of Malfi
Nov 30; Dec 1
19:00

Blood, Love and Rhetoric
Prague’s most prolific English language Theatre Company are back with a busy and eclectic autumn season. Plenty of options to suit all tastes!

Elixir
Sept 20 and 22 
Malostranská beseda, Malostranské Náměstí 21, Praha 1
Sex! Drugs! Alchemy! A risqué historical comedy set in Renaissance Prague.

Blood, Love and Rhetoric will present Elixir / photo: Martina Octavia Madison

Loose Ends
Oct 5 and 6
Studio Alta, U Výstaviště 1286/21, Holešovice 
This engaging comic drama is about the bittersweet 1970s love affair of a couple who cannot live together and cannot live apart. 

Little Eyolf
October 25 and 26 
Studio Alta, U Výstaviště 1286/21, Holešovice 
An intense and beautiful ensemble piece reworked from the original Ibsen script by Norwegian director Beathe Linde.

The Psychiatrists
Nov 7, 8, 9
Alfred ve Dvore Theatre, Františka Křížka 36, 
Praha 7
Ingenious comedy by Fredrich Durrenmatt pitches cold war spies searching for latest in Tesla-style technology in to the deceits of the insane asylum.

Finally, the popular improv team return with a new format for weekly performances from October. Still new every night, still different every night. Check www.blrtheatre.com for details on this and all shows (including a Harold Pinter Festival coming in late November/early December).

Prague Youth Theatre returns for fall 2013

Prague Youth Theatre
Prague Youth Theatre (PYT) currently teaches over 150 children and young people aged 4-17. PYT begins its third year with trial sessions from Saturday 14th September. For more details about their theatre and dance courses, please visit www.pyt.cz.

Prague Playhouse Acting Studio
Prague’s longest-running English-language production house offers Meisner classes from beginners to experienced actors. The group meets twice a week to works on acting fundamentals. New film projects will be on offer this term gving students the chance to write and shoot their own projects. They also will be having scene nights for the more advanced students to perform their scenes. 

Prague Fringe Festival
The 13th Prague Fringe is returning to Mala Strana next May and the organisers are currently accepting applications from potential performers and festival assistants. If you’d like to be involved either on the stage or behind the scenes then head over to their website for all the details on how to apply. Deadline for performer applications is Sept 23, 2013. 

Always fun Fringe Fest is now accepting performance applications

Film festivals

Ostrava Kamera Oko
Sept 27-Oct 3
Ostrava
Fifth annual international cinematographer’s film festival includes masterclasses and a special section on Slovak short film.

2013 International Student Film Festival Písek
Oct 4-6
Písek
Student film competition, held in the same location as the famed summer film school.

Das Film Festival
Oct 16-20
Prague
German language film festival held at Prague’s historic Kino Lucerna and presented by the Goethe-Institut.

Brno 16 (B16)
Oct 16-19
Brno
The oldest regularly running international festival of short films in the Czech Republic. This 54th year will be held in the Art cinema, Brno.

Do you have more suggestions for English-speaking audiences this season? Please let us know in the comments below.