Summer Shakespeare Festival
Encyclopedia
The Summer Shakespeare Festival (Czech: Letní shakespearovské slavnosti, Slovak: Letné shakespearovské slávnosti) takes place in the courtyard of Burgrave Palace at Prague Castle
. The festival was originally initiated by Václav Havel
. The performances are also presented at Špilberk in Brno
and at Bratislava Castle
in Bratislava
. The organizers closely cooperate with Martin Hilský
, who translated most of the staged plays.
So far, the most acclaimed was the performance of King Lear
in 2002. In 2004, director Martin Huba
was selected for an ambitious project, a performance of Romeo and Juliet
such as that one evening Capulets would be Slovaks and Monteks Czechs and the next day vice versa. The project failed, Huba said to the media that even though the dialogs translated by Ľubomír Feldek
and Martin Hilský were perfect, they somehow did not fit together. In the end, the only Slovak-speaking character was the Nurse, performed by Emília Vášáryová
.
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
. The festival was originally initiated by Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
. The performances are also presented at Špilberk in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and at Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on a quite isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava...
in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. The organizers closely cooperate with Martin Hilský
Martin Hilský
Prof. Martin Hilský is a professor of English literature at Charles University in Prague and a translator.He is most acclaimed for his translations of William Shakespeare's works; in 2001 he was named an honorary holder of the Order of the British Empire...
, who translated most of the staged plays.
So far, the most acclaimed was the performance of King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
in 2002. In 2004, director Martin Huba
Martin Huba
Martin Huba is a Slovak actor and director on stage and in film.In 1964 he graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava . He joined the Východoslovenské štátne divadlo in Košice. In 1967 he moved to the theater Divadlo na Korze in Bratislava, where he remained till its closure in...
was selected for an ambitious project, a performance of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
such as that one evening Capulets would be Slovaks and Monteks Czechs and the next day vice versa. The project failed, Huba said to the media that even though the dialogs translated by Ľubomír Feldek
Lubomír Feldek
Ľubomír Feldek is a Slovak poet, writer, playwright, and translator. He is married to Oľga Feldeková....
and Martin Hilský were perfect, they somehow did not fit together. In the end, the only Slovak-speaking character was the Nurse, performed by Emília Vášáryová
Emília Vášáryová
Emília Vášáryová is a Slovak stage and screen actress, referred to as the First Lady of Slovak Theater. During her over five decades long career, she has received numerous awards including the Meritorious Artist , Alfréd Radok Award , Czech Lion Award Golden Globet Award , and most recently the...
.
Selected performances
- 2002 – King Lear (Lear: Jan TřískaJan TrískaJan Triska or Jan Tříska is a Czech-American actor.-Early life and career:He was born in Prague. Before his emigration he performed in the theater and had many roles in movies, the movie version of Radúz a Mahulena and in the communist propaganda piece 30 Cases of Major Zeman...
, directed by Martin Huba) - 2003 – HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(Hamlet: Jiří Langmajer, directed by Lucie Bělohradská) - 2004 – Romeo and Juliet (Romeo: Jiří Hájek / Ladislav Hampl, JulietJuliet CapuletJuliet is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the other being Romeo. She is the daughter of old Capulet, head of the house of Capulet. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself....
: Kateřina Čapková / Zuzana VejvodováZuzana VejvodováZuzana Vejvodová is a Czech actress.In 2000 she graduated from Prague Conservatory. Afterwards she joined Divadlo Na Fidlovačce . She regularly performs in TV films and series. In April 2008 she was shortlisted for TýTý Award, an annual Czech television award, in one of the categories...
, Nurse: Emília VášáryováEmília VášáryováEmília Vášáryová is a Slovak stage and screen actress, referred to as the First Lady of Slovak Theater. During her over five decades long career, she has received numerous awards including the Meritorious Artist , Alfréd Radok Award , Czech Lion Award Golden Globet Award , and most recently the...
, directed by Martin Huba) - 2005 – Twelfth Night, or What You WillTwelfth Night, or What You WillTwelfth Night; or, What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season...
(Viola: Jitka Schneiderová / Zuzana Vejvodová, Olivia: Linda Rybová / Hana Ševčíková, Feste: Jiří Langmajer / Miroslav TáborskýMiroslav TáborskýMiroslav Táborský is a Czech actor who has appeared on Czech television series, as well as in American movies....
, Malvolio: Alois ŠvehlíkAlois ŠvehlíkAlois Švehlík is a Czech actor.After graduation from a technical secondary school he joined theatre in Kladno. Later he moved to Most, Olomouc and Liberec. Currently he is member of National Theatre in Prague...
/ Jan Vlasák, directed by Viktor Polesný) - 2006 – OthelloOthelloThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
(Othello: Michal Dlouhý / Martin Zahálka, IagoIagoIago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's source is traced to Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi . There, the character is simply "the ensign". Iago is a soldier and Othello's ancient . He is the husband of Emilia,...
: Oldřich Navrátil, DesdemonaDesdemona (Othello)Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello . Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a man several years her senior. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the...
: Lucie VondráčkováLucie VondráckováLucie Vondráčková is a Czech singer and actress. She is the niece of Czech singer Helena Vondráčková. She played in Czech Lion award-winning film Snowboarďáci. She also gained considerable fame as a pop-singer in the Czech Republic especially for her song Strach.Lucie Vondrácková comes from a...
/ Zuzana Vejvodová, directed by Petr Kracik)
External links
- Official website
- Photogallery from Romeo and Juliet at scena.cz