About

About me

I worked as a dramaturg and later as the artistic director of the Drak Theatre and the International Institute of Figurative Theatre in Hradec Králové (2010 – 2019). In 1997, I received an MA degree at the Theatre Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where I also worked as an external teacher. In the years 2010 – 15, I completed my doctoral studies at the Department of Theory and Criticism at DAMU. As part of my studies, I left for a three-month internship in New York in 2012, which influenced my further creative direction. I have been an independent professional since 2020. I am dedicated to creative production, dramaturgy, direction, curation of exhibitions for children and project cooperation in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Drak Theatre

As a dramaturg, I participated in several productions at the Drak Theatre. With Georges Méliès’ Last Trick (2014, directed by Jiří Havelka, scenography by Marek Zákostelecký), we participated in a number of festivals in the Czech Republic and abroad. (Germany, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Turkey, Israel, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Spain).

The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart production (2015, directed by Ondrej Spišák, scenography by Tomáš Žižka) was also appreciated. We created a site specific experiential game of going through the institution as an object. “Theatrical miracle, success of the month, cultural event of the year” – these are the labels that appeared in the responses to the exceptional production, which the audience could visit for five weeks. In less than a month, over 2,000 spectators saw the production.

In 2019, I directed the author’s production A na noze pevnina, and in the same year I also participated in the concept and direction of the production The Wall based on the book of the same name by Petr Sís.

For Drak Theatre, during my tenure I prepared the dramaturgy of the festival program as part of the International Theatre Festival of European Regions. I participated in a number of festivals, in order to work on theatre’s dramaturgy and to establish international cooperations. (APAP New York/​USA, PAMS Seoul/​South Korea, Festival d’Avignon/France, Edinburgh Festival Fringe/​Great Britain, Festival Charleville-Mezieres/France, Mime Festival London/​Great Britain, MIMA Mirepoix/​France, FIMFA Lisbon/​Portugal , LUTKE Ljubljana/​Slovenia, MUKAMAS Tampere/​Finland, NUKU festival – Tallinn/​Estonia, Festival of Wonder Silkeborg/​Denmark, Figura Theatrefestival Baden/​ Switzerland, Showbox Festival Oslo/​Norway, FIDENA Buchum/​Germany, HIP festival/​Iceland, and more.)

I initiated the renewal of the International Institute of Figurative Theatre at the Drak Theatre, a platform devoted to experimenting, research and education. On the premises of the Drak Theatre, we built a gallery and established a teaching department that contributes to the activities of the Drak Theatre’s educational programme. We have also created a space here for the international meeting of students of theatre universities Gaudeamus theatrum. In 2018, we started the Clinic, i.e. a specialized workplace of DAMU Prague directly in the Drak Theatre. The program was supported by European structural funds.

 

Poco a poco animato

In 2005, I was one of the initiators of the founding of the civic association Poco a poco animato, the purpose of which was to revive the cultural scene in the region. We focused on theatrical, musical and artistic activities and productions. In the years 2010 – 13, I was the director and dramaturg of the Open Air Program of the International Festival Theatre European Regions in Hradec Králové, which we transformed and enriched by focusing on a new theme each year (Open Utopia, Open Plantage, Open Spirit).

As part of the Poco a poco animato activity, I also initiated site-specific projects: Chemical safari/​Decontamination trail in the former Vertex fiberglass factory (2007), Waterfront (2009), Czech-Polish exchange exhibition To samo tylko innaczej Wroclaw/​Hradec Králové (2009) and the performance Living fountain in Metz, France (2010). I participated in the creation and functioning of the public space Walk thru gallery.

Original projects and collaborations

I am currently collaborating on a two-year project called Moetivi Caravan/​Expedition Home, in which the partner organizations are Handbendi (Iceland) and Arctic Culture Lab (Norway). During the residencies and joint rehearsals, three original productions were created in specially modified caravans. They deal with the theme of home and are intended for families with children.

In 2020, I started the project Nothing else, mothers, which deals with the topic of relationships between mothers and daughters. In cooperation with Profitart, I took part in a residency in Gorzanov, Poland, and with Anna Klimešová co-directed a theatre performance of the same name starring Cecile da Costa and Antonie Formanová.

I collaborated with Cecile da Costa’s original dance performance, Roselyne. The European platform Aerowaves selected this production among the twenty most interesting motion theatre acts for 2021.

In 2019, together with Miřenka Čechová, I participated in the annual project Family therapy, and later in directing the production !O! in Pragovka.

 

Exhibitions for children – curation

  • 2021 Jan A jaK dál (Sladovna gallery, Písek) – Live exhibition designed as a journey through the gallery, which shows moments from the life of Jan Amos Comenius. It explores Comenius’ ideas and invites children and their parents to compare them their own experience.
  • 2019 And what’s next, Elephant? (Labyrinth, Drak Theatre, Hradec Králové) – Exhibition dedicated to the painter, illustrator and writer Daisy Mrázková, who touched the hearts of children and adults alike.
  • 2018 Bee – A Mysterious Trip towards the Sun (Sladovna gallery, Písek) – An interactive exhibition offers an interesting perspective on bees and the organism of the bee colony in an effort to understand its secrets.

International collaborations

  • 2020 – 2022 Moetivi Caravan/​​Expedition Home. A project exploring both material landscape and cultural tradition. An expedition to the essence of what makes home a home. Partner organizations: Handbendi (Iceland), Arctic Culture Lab (Norway).
  • 2013 – 2015 European Puppetry Knowledge Exchange (EPKE) supported by the EU Culture fund. Project participants: LGL, Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana, SL, NUKU, Eesti Riiklik Nukuteater (Estonian State Puppet Theatre), EE, Divadlo Drak and the International Institute of Figurative Theatre, o. p. s., CZ. The EPKE project was based on sharing experience in the field of puppet production. Its goal was to increase the effectiveness of the puppetry profession development, specifically by combatting the lack of intergenerational and intercultural information transfer.

Awards

  • Czech-Slovak Theatre Newspaper Award (2015) for co-authorship of the theme and concept of the production Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart based on works of J. A. Comenius (Drak Theatre).
  • City of Hradec Králové Hradec Muse Award (2020) for co-directing the production The Wall based on the book of the same name by Petr Sís (Drak Theatre).