DIVADELNÍ FLORA 2008

12th FLORA THEATRE FESTIVAL
Olomouc, May 13–22, 2008


This year’s edition of the non-competition festival offers over five dozen shows in ten days including a rich score of off-program events (film screenings and music concerts) which will once again take place not only on the stage of the organizer, Moravian Theatre Olomouc, but also on the premises of the so-called “Konvikt” (Art Centre of Palacky University), in the courtyard of the Theresian Armoury on the grounds of the university campus, at Divadlo hudby (Theatre of Music), the city’s Archdiocesan Museum, in the Upper Square at the heart of the city centre, and also in the Kaldera Club.

On the whole, the 2008 festival will host theatre companies and musicians from 12 countries — beside those from the Czech Republic you will also be able to catch up with artists from Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Finland, Korea, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, Senegal, Ireland or France.

Advance booking and sale of tickets for individual festival events will be available from April 14, 2008, at the Moravian Theatre ticket office (phone: +420 585 223 533,
email: pokladna@moravskedivadlo.cz).

Like in the previous years, the FLORA THEATRE festival will also include a project known as OPEN KONVIKT: admission to all events during this traditional four-day off-program taking place at the Art Centre of Palacky University will be free of charge.



TUE May 13th


7:00 p.m.Moravian Theatre
Richard Wagner
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
Moravian Theatre Olomouc / CZ
A core opera production of the organizing theatre
directed by Martin Otava with music arrangements by Miloslav Oswald.
festival gala opening
10:22 p.m.
(22:22 cest)
Theresian Armoury / circus marquee
SKUTR / CZ
MASTER AND PUPIL
“A Recycled Asian commedia dell'arte á la Tarantino“ —
a playful and original authorial project by the directing
tandem SKUTR (Martin Kukučka & Lukáš Trpišovský).


WED May 14th


10:15 a.m.Archdiocesan Museum / Mozarteum Hall
VALMONT
France, USA 1989 / directed by Miloš Forman
A dissection of decadence looming in high society circles
of pre-Revolution France.
film screening for grammar school students
6:00 p.m.Moravian Theatre
Dmitry Merezhkovsky
EMPEROR PAUL I
Municipal Theatre Brno / CZ
This historic fresco directed by Hana Burešová offers a portrayal
of an iron-fisted tyrant, both a raging beast and a tender lover.
Winner of the Alfréd Radok Award for Best Czech Theatre
Production of 2007. Winner of the Thalie Award for Best Male
Lead Performance (Erik Pardus).
10:00 p.m.Theresian Armoury / circus marquee
Artur Pałyga
NOTHING HUMAN
Scena Prapremier InVitro Company Lublin / PL
Where are the bounds of conscience? How soundly does
an executioner sleep? Who does the victim dream about?
A disquieting collage by a trio of directors (Paweł Passini,
Piotr Ratajczak, Łukasz Witt-Michałowski), a performance
that only this January launched the activities
of a new authorial theatre company.


THU May 15th


10:15 a.m.Archdiocesan Museum / Mozarteum Hall
BOBBY DEERFIELD
USA 1977 / directed by Sydney Pollack
A nonconforming affair devoid of all clichés involving
a pair of people balancing on the brink of death.
film screening for grammar school students
3:30 p.m.Kaldera Club
WE WANNA (T)ACT
civic association SPOLU / TOGETHER
A drama therapy performance of a fairytale featuring actors
with mental and combined disabilities with the sole purpose
of entertaining both the performers and the audience.
the Flora Theatre Festival hosts the first performance
of this production / free admission
4:30 p.m.Kaldera Club
WE GET TO ACT!
Exhibition opening of photographs by Jiří Doležel
portraying actors from the civic association SPOLU / TOGETHER.
6:30 p.m.Moravian Theatre
J. M. Synge
THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD
Činoherní klub Prague / CZ
A congenial production of a controversial and ferocious comedy
which sparked off by far the biggest feud in the history of Irish
theatre. Winner of the Alfréd Radok Award for Best Czech Theatre
Production of 2007. Directed by: Ondřej Sokol
10:00 p.m.Theresian Armoury / circus marquee
Continuo Theatre
based upon the ballads of K. J. Erben

WILLOW TREE
Studio of Divadlo Continuo Malovice / CZ
Magical imagination, dynamic stage movements and sharp
narrative montage set against the backdrop of a speckled music
score. The latest poetic vision of a top-class alternative troupe.
Directed by: Pavel Štourač


FRI May 16th


10:15 a.m.Archdiocesan Museum / Mozarteum Hall
THE MALTESE FALCON
USA 1941 / directed by John Huston
Film version of a model story of the American hard-boiled school
of crime fiction which instigated the visually captivating style
of “film noir”. / film screening for grammar school students
6:00 p.m.Moravian Theatre / “behind the curtain”
Marina Carr
PORTIA COUGHLAN
Andrej Bagar Theatre Nitra / SK
A riveting journey into a dreamlike, passionate, yet overly human
world written by one of the most performed contemporary woman
playwrights. Winner of the Slovak “Dosky” Award for Best Lead
Actress (Zuzana Kanócz). Directed by: Michal Vajdička
9:30 p.m.Theatre of Music (Divadlo hudby)
MIRAGE
A dance reflection on human fixedness and one’s inability to break
free from the yoke of life stereotypes, a piece bursting with fantasy
and imagination. Choreography by: Mirka Eliášová
10:30 p.m.Theresian Armoury / circus marquee
AN OPEN SANDWICH
T.E.J.P. Theatre Jihlava / CZ
A sketch with a huge scoopful of salad on a tiny piece of bread
and a world where there is still time for love, friendship and
surprises. / the Flora Theatre Festival hosts the first performance
of this production
11:30 p.m.Theresian Armoury / circus marquee
J. Škrdla & B. Jandová
AN ENIGMA CALLED THE WORLD
A monodrama about the air of mystery surrounding the world
performed by Jakub Škrdla.


SAT May 17th


10:30 a.m.Moravian Theatre / “behind the curtain”
A. S. Pushkin
EUGENE ONEGIN
Petr Bezruč Theatre Ostrava / CZ
An unconventional, visually and artistically creative treatment
of this classic work of fiction, a piece acclaimed as one of the most
outstanding stage productions of the current Czech theatre
season. Directed by: Jan Mikulášek
4:00 p.m.Theatre of Music (Divadlo hudby)
Henrik Ibsen
HEDDA GABLER
Malá scéna (Small Stage), VŠMU
(Academy of Performing Arts)
Bratislava / SK
A consummate psychological drama — sometimes called Ibsen’s
“last of the great female plays” — in an inspired stage version
performed by young students of the Bratislava Academy.
Directed by: Anna Petrželková
8:00 p.m.Moravian Theatre / “behind the curtain”
Christopher Hampton
EMBERS
Slovak National Theatre Bratislava / SK
A story of friendship and betrayal, this stage version of the
well-known eponymous work of fiction by the Hungarian writer
Sándor Márai won the protagonist Martin Huba the Slovak
“Dosky” Award for Best Male Lead Actor of the last theatre season.
Directed by: Roman Polák


SUN May 18th


10:30 a.m.Moravian Theatre / “behind the curtain”
Christopher Hampton
EMBERS
Slovak National Theatre Bratislava / SK
A story of friendship and betrayal, this stage version of the
well-known eponymous work of fiction by the Hungarian writer
Sándor Márai won the protagonist Martin Huba the Slovak
“Dosky” Award for Best Male Lead Actor of the last theatre season.
Directed by: Roman Polák
2:30 p.m.Konvikt (Art Centre of Palacky University) / film hall
THE VIRGIN SPRING
Jungfrukällan / Sweden 1960 / directed by Ingmar Bergman
A classic masterpiece of world cinema inspired by an ancient Scandinavian legend.
5:00 p.m.Theatre of Music (Divadlo hudby)
William Shakespeare
TITUS ANDRONICUS_A Fly in Flight
DISK Theatre / DAMU (Academy of Performing Arts) Prague / CZ
How faint are the borders dividing the civilized world
from barbarism, wisdom from insanity, success from failure,
blessing from malediction and the tragedy of vengeance
from grotesquery? Shakespeare’s darkest and bloodiest drama
directed by Petra Tejnorová.
8:30 p.m.Moravian Theatre
Franz Kafka
THE TRIAL
Divadlo Komedie Prague / CZ
This stage version of Kafka’s crucial novel won the Best Czech
Theatre Production of 2007 Award in the critical survey
of the “Divadelní noviny” biweekly and the Alfréd Radok Award
in the same category. Directed by: Dušan D. Pařízek
10:00 p.m.Upper Square (Horní náměstí)
BEING AND TIME!
Theatro Pantomissimo / CZ
A street theatre improvisation based on this year’s festival motto.
OPEN KONVIKT
May 19–22, 2008
festival off program, Art Centre of Palacky University (“Konvikt”)
free admission


MON May 19th


10:00 a.m.film hall
NATURAL BORN KILLERS
USA 1994 / directed by Oliver Stone
A controversial hallucinatory vision of the world ruled by the media
with violence and immorality as its hottest commodities.
1:00 p.m.theatre hall
TRAINS
Handa Gote / CZ
A concerto for sounds of trains and iron percussions. A screeching
voice of an ancient, greasy and old-fashioned world. Screenings
of photographs from train stations. An industrial haiku.
2:30 p.m.film hall
SHAME
Stud / Czechoslovakia 1967 / directed by Ladislav Helge
One of the first films foreboding the atmosphere of the Prague
Spring of 1968. A straightforward record of the Communist
system’s inconsiderate staleness.
5:00 p.m.film hall

FEAR AND TREMBLING
Stupeuer et tremblements / France 2003 / directed by Alain Corneau
A young European girl’s world clashes with Japanese traditions
in this hard-to-believe story tinged with Kafkaesque absurdity.
7:30 p.m.theatre hall
ON THE DARK ROAD
Theatro Pantomissimo / CZ
Walking a tightrope between physical theatre and contemporary
pantomime. A remarkable blend of black grotesque,
harsh physicality and poetic fragility.
8:30 p.m.the ramparts
THE FILTHY-PLE HAND
Vosto5 Theatre / CZ
A variety show with images from the life of a certain order...
The latest performance of a traditional festival guest!
10:30 p.m.courtyard / live music
HOOVERPHONIC / BEL
A world-famous Belgian band which keeps selling out large venues,
now as an exclusive guest of the festival off program!
A captivating atmospheric sound with great musicians capable
of making contact with the audience in their own unique way.


TUE May 20th


10:00 a.m.film hall
ALL MY GOOD COUNTRYMEN
Všichni dobří rodáci / Czechoslovakia 1968 / directed by Vojtěch Jasný
A picturesque frieze depicting turbulent fates of several people
in postwar Czechoslovakia.
1:00 p.m.theatre hall
WORK IN REGRESS
Ioana Mona Popovici / ROM
A metaphorical performance of a top-class Romanian dancer,
inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
1:45 p.m.film hall
THE UNSEEN
Nespatřené / Czech Republic 1997 / directed by Miroslav Janek
A journey into the world of those who can’t see the world with their
own eyes, yet they manage to understand and cherish it with their hearts.
3:30 p.m.the ramparts
JOHNNY AND HIS GOAT, SUGAR SHERRY, THE FIREBIRD
KALD DAMU (Dept. of Puppet and Alternative Theatre,
Academy of Performing Arts)
Prague / CZ
A handful of fairytales for little and big spectators alike.
5:00 p.m.film hall
COFFEE AND CIGARETTES
USA 2003 / directed by Jim Jarmusch
Eleven stories, litres and litres of coffee, heaps and heaps of cigarettes
and just one director musing upon the glamour of café culture.
7:00 p.m.theatre hall
Eduard Kudláč
FEED THE SNAKE IN THE GRASS
PART 1: STAMINA REPORT

Phenomenontheatre & Stanica Žilina-Záriečie / SK
A theatrical reflection on the extremes of human behaviour
balancing on the brink of communication.
8:30 p.m.the ramparts
STAND'ART CABARET Vol. 1
Vosto5 Theatre / CZ
A parallel opening and closing night with theatre and music
improvisation under a demobbed second-hand S 65 military tent.
10:30 p.m.courtyard / live music
THE BABYZITHERS / AUT
A combination of improvised e(c)lectronic power rock
and minimalist lyrics. An avant-garde jazz rock trio from Vienna
headed by an award-winning and creative zither player.


WED May 21st


10:00 a.m.film hall
CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7
Cléo de 5 a 7 / France 1961 / directed by Agnes Varda A documentary-like essay on the relative structure of time.
1:00 p.m.theatre hall
ACTION LYRIC POETRY
Ondřej David / CZ
No more TV poetry recitals! Instead — a pulsating frequency
which keeps hanging in the air. Physical poetry.
2:15 p.m.film hall
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS & 2 DAYS
4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile / Romania 2007 / directed by Cristian Mungiu
A rough award-winning story dealing with the right for life
and personal freedom under harsh political dictatorship.
4:30 p.m.the ramparts
FIREFLIES, THE GOBLIN AND THE IMP, TURYASKA ROSAMUNDA
KALD DAMU (Dept. of Puppet and Alternative Theatre,
Academy of Performing Arts)
Prague / CZ
A handful of fairytales for little and big spectators alike.
6:00 p.m.film hall
VALLEY OF THE BEES
Údolí včel / Czechoslovakia 1967 / directed by František Vláčil
A formally polished, mesmeric parable on the inevitability of mercy,
act of absolution and a passion for finding a meaning in life.
8:00 p.m.theatre hall
Věra Ondrašíková / CZ
IN-FINITO
“More haste less speed” — just try to stick to this saying and you’ll
find out that you can manage more than you could ever imagine!
9:00 p.m.the ramparts
STAND'ART CABARET Vol. 2
Divadlo Vosto5 / CZ
A parallel opening and closing night with theatre and music
improvisation under a demobbed second-hand S 65 military tent.
10:30 p.m.courtyard / live music
OMAR KA & FULA BAND / NL / SEN
A masterly mix of reggae, funk and Afrobeat with original
African rhythms. An inventive multi-genre style softly swinging
from wild beats to balladic tunes.


THU May 22nd


10:00 a.m.film hall
THE SEVENTH SEAL
Det sjunde inseglet / Sweden 1957 / directed by Ingmar Bergman
By far the most renowned film opus by the Swedish oppugner and
philosopher, a tale of a heroic challenge of Death to a game of chess.
1:00 p.m.theatre hall
Yi Eun Lee / KOR
ANGELS AND DEMONS
A confrontation with our private demons
and a dance meditation on the ways of facing them...
3:00 p.m.film hall
THE WAY THROUGH THE BLEAK WOODS
Cesta pustým lesem / Czech Republic 1997 / directed by Ivan Vojnár
This directorial debut by an experienced Czech cameraman brings
a study of a bizarre community in the South Bohemian mountains.
6:30 p.m.film hall
EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF AND GOD AGAINST ALL
Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle / W. Germany 1974 / directed by Werner Herzog
A non-sentimental treatment of the life adventures
of the wolf child and foundling Kaspar Hauser.
9:30 p.m.theatre hall
ALMA AND AMANDA
Linnea Happonen & Henna Kaikula / FIN
Two different souls — one mystery, two unlike frames of mind —
one problem. An intimate glance into the lives of twins — a tale
exploring the advantages and disadvantages of being together...
10:30 p.m.courtyard / live music
NINA HYNES / IRL
& FABIEN LESEURE / FRA

A petite Irish guitarist with a fragile, yet strong voice (known e.g.
from former collaboration with Glen Hansard) in a joint
performance featuring an outstanding French keyboard player.