Tales of Common Insanity
Encyclopedia
Petr Zelenka
Petr Zelenka is an award-winning Czech playwright and director of theatre and film. His films have been recognized at international festivals in Moscow and Rotterdam...
which won the Alfréd Radok Award
Alfréd Radok Awards
The Alfréd Radok Awards are presented annually by the Endowment for the Alfréd Radok Awards in collaboration with the Aura–Pont agency and the magazine Svět a Divadlo for achievements in Czech theatre. The prize for Best Performance was first awarded in 1992...
for Best Play. After its opening in Prague, the play received productions in other Czech cities, as well as translations and productions in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and it was translated into Russian (language). Zelenka wrote and directed a film adaptation of the comedy, which was released as Wrong Side Up
Wrong Side Up
Wrong Side Up is a 2005 Czech comedy-drama film written and directed by Petr Zelenka. It is an adaptation of Zelenka's play Tales of Common Insanity. It is a tale of people showing their internal loneliness by their choices in life.-Plot:...
in 2005 and was also highly successful.
Plot summary
The comedy centers around Peter, a bachelor in his mid-thirties. He desperately wants to win back his girlfriend Jana and asks his friend Midge for help. Midge, another loner unable to form a long-lasting relationshipInterpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
with a woman, has gone through many break-ups and therefore considered himself an expert. Petr also has to pay a visit to his discontented parents.
His mother ruined the family by endless preaching. She developed a strong passion for blood donation
Blood donation
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation....
and gets alarmed by the war in Chechnya
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
. The father, a former commentator of communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
newsreel, escapes to his own thoughts. He is preoccupied with the idea of whether a light bulb would fit in a mouth. Peter's neighbour, a composer fighting hard to get royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
for performance of his music by synthesizers in elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s, also is revealed to be at least a bit insane.
The cast includes 8 male and 7 female characters. The character of Petr's pedophile
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
boss is sometimes omitted.
Dejvice Theatre, Prague
The world premiere on 16th November 2001 and the opening months were directed by the playwright, Petr Zelenka. The play ran until the 13th October 2009, staged at the Dejvické divadlo in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
- Petr .... Ivan TrojanIvan TrojanIvan Trojan is a Czech actor.He graduated from the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 1988 and Realistické divadlo Zdeňka Nejedlého in Prague-Smíchov. In 1992 he moved to Divadlo na Vinohradech...
- Jana ....
- Petr's mother .... Nina Divíšková (nominated for Thalia Award)
- Petr's father .... Miroslav Krobot (received Alfréd Radok Award in category Talent of the Year)
- Midge .... Martin Myšička
- Alice ....
- Sylvie .... Lenka Krobotová
- Jirka ....
- Anna ....
- Aleš ....
- Figurine (Eva) ....
- Dancer ....
- 1st Postman ....
Komorní scéna Arena, Prague
- Directed by Václav Klemens.
- Petr .... Marek Cisovský
- Jana .... Kristýna Janáčková
- Petr's mother .... Zdena Przebindová
- Petr's father .... Pavel Cisovský
- Midge .... Vladislav Georgiev
- Alice .... Renáta Klemensová
- Sylvie .... Miroslava Georgievová
- Jirka .... Dušan Škubal
- Anna .... Tereza Cisovská
- Aleš .... Josef Kaluža
- Figurine (Eva) .... Lucie Finková
- Dancer .... Kristýna Janáčková
- 1st Postman .... René Šmotek
Západočeské divadlo, ChebChebCheb is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with about 33,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Ohře , at the foot of one of the spurs of the Smrčiny and near the border with Germany...
- Directed by Petr Štindl. The premiere at 24th April 2010, staged by Western Bohemian Theatre in Cheb.
- Petr .... Petr Konáš
- Jana .... Pavla Janiššová
- Petr's mother .... Eva Navrátilová
- Petr's father .... Pavel Marek
- Midge .... David Beneš
- Alice .... Radmila Urbánková
- Sylvie .... Diana Toniková
- Jirka .... Petr Batěk
- Anna .... Klára Štěpánková
- Aleš .... Martin Jurajda
- Figurine (Eva), Dancer .... Vladimíra Vítová
- Boss in Work .... Jan Čížek
- Soldier, Man in Audicences .... Jindřich Skopec
Jihočeské divadlo, Český KrumlovČeský KrumlovČeský Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle...
- The premiere at 1st November 2004 - 26th February 2004, staged by Southern Bohemian Theatre in Český KrumlovČeský KrumlovČeský Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle...
. - Petr .... Pavel Oubram
- Jana .... Dana Verzichová
- Petr's mother .... Bibiana Šimonová
- Petr's father .... Jan Dvořák
- Midge .... Tomáš Drápela
- Alice .... Lenka Krčková
- Sylvie .... Adéla Kubačáková Kačerová
- Jirka .... Roman Nevěčný
- Anna .... Daniela Bambasová
- Aleš .... Lukáš Hejlík
- Figurine (Eva) .... Věra Hollá
- Dancer .... Vladimíra Vítová
- Boss in Work .... Martin Hruška / Jan Konrád
- Man in Audicences .... Jiří Hruška
- 1st Postman .... Petr Drholec
Around The Corner (Divadlo za rohem), Vancouver, BC
- Directed by Tereza Růžičková. The premiere was 28th April 2005, Shadbold Centre for the Arts, VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Teatr Ludowy, KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
- Directed by Andrzej Celiński. Translated by Krystyna Krauze. The premiere was the 16th November 2007. The Polish title is Opowieści o żwyczajnym szalenstwie.
- Petr .... Piotr Pilitowski
- Jana .... Dominika Markuszewska
- Petr's mother .... Maja Barełkowska
- Petr's father .... Krzysztof Górecki
- Midge .... Jacek Wojciechowski / Tomasz Schimscheiner
- Alice .... Anna Maria Piróg-Karaszkiewicz
- Sylvie .... Patrycja Durska
- Jirka .... Andrzej Franczyk
- Anna .... Iwona Sitkowska
- Aleš .... Jacek Joniec
- Figurine (Eva) .... Katarzyna Tlałka
- Dancer .... Bernerdeta Zwierowska
- Boss in Work .... Kajetan Wolniewicz
- Soldier, Man in Audicences, Postman .... Piotr Piecha
Divadlo Andreja Bagára, Nitra
- Directed by Svetozár Sprušansk. Translate by Jana Beňová. The premiere 13th and 14th December 2002 in Andrej Bagár Theatre, NitraNitraNitra is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. With a population of about 83,572, it is the fifth largest city in Slovakia. Nitra is also one of the oldest cities in Slovakia and the country's earliest political and cultural center...
. The Slovak title is Príbehy obyčajného šialenstva. - Petr .... Milan Ondrík
- Jana .... Kristína Turjanová
- Petr's mother .... Adela Gáborová
- Petr's father .... Ján Greššo
- Midge .... Juraj Hrčka / Martin Fratrič
- Alice .... Zuzana Moravcová
- Sylvie .... Daniela Kuffelová
- Jirka .... Alexander Bárta
- Anna .... Michaela Šinková
- Vlado (Aleš) .... Peter Gecík
- Eva .... Klaudia Kolembusová
- Dancer .... Katarína Zemanová
- Boss in Work .... Martin Nahálka
- Postmen .... Ernest Šmigura and Ján Greššo ml.
Landestheater Tübingen, Deutschland
- The premiere was 8th May 2009. The German title is Schrottengel.
With: Danny Exnar (as Petr), Claudia Albrecht, Veronika Avraham, Katalyn Bohn, Raffaele Bonazza, Katja Gaudard, Hildegard Maier, Julienne Pfeil, Karlheinz Schmitt, Johannes Schön, Gotthard Sinn, Alexander Wenz
Dauer: 180 min. (1 Pause).
The play was later staged in Poland (Teatr Dramatyczny in Warszawa
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
), Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(Katona József Theatre in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
), as well as in several other Czech theatres. It was also translated into Russian.
In 2005, Zelenka wrote and directed a loose film adaptation, released as Wrong Side Up
Wrong Side Up
Wrong Side Up is a 2005 Czech comedy-drama film written and directed by Petr Zelenka. It is an adaptation of Zelenka's play Tales of Common Insanity. It is a tale of people showing their internal loneliness by their choices in life.-Plot:...
.
- Published in 2002 by Theatre Institut, ISBN 80-7008-133-3 (translated by Robert Russell)
External links
- Article on page of Czech Radio by Jan Velinger, includes excerpts from the play.
- Komorní scéna Arena Website
- Dejvice theatre Website
- Divadlo in Cheb Website
- Jihočeské divadlo Website
- Teatr Ludowy Website
- Divadlo Anfreja Bagára Website
- Landestheater Tübingen Website