Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2017 - 18

Hamlet. Švanda Theatre, Prague; premiere Dec 7, 2013; directed by Daniel
Špinar; set by Iva Němcová; costumes by Lucia Škandíková. From left:
Gertrude (Petra Hřebíčková), Ophelia (Zuzana Onufráková), Laertes (Filip
Čapka), Hamlet (Patrik Děrgel). Photography by Viktor Kronbauer. Courtesy of
Arts and Theatre Institute, Prague, Czech Republic, reproduced by permission
of Viktor Kronbauer.

potential of the text. In doing so, they have significantly
influenced the directorial concept of productions, and
foregrounded their topicality. The reinforced position of
the scenographer is also reflected in language-Czech
uses the word "scénografie" (scenography) as opposed
to "výtvarník" (designer)" as an intentional word choice
promoted by designers such as Josef Svoboda in an effort to emphasize their contribution to the art of theatre
making.
"CZECH SHAKESPEARE" AND SCENOGRAPHY
As the selected examples suggest, Shakespeare's plays
have played a crucial cultural role throughout the 20th
century in the Czech territory, a "cultural vertical,"
whose "art-the poetry, its metaphors, clandestine symbols, and ironies-was a space of indeterminacy that
allowed the spectators to resonate with, share in, and
be members of an ineffable and imagined community,
one that could never be established in reality and expressed aloud" (Drábek 2017, 18). The prominent position of Shakespeare's work within Czech culture may
come as a surprise. One could ask why Czechs would
want to stage plays by an Englishman instead of their
own playwrights. As Pavel Drábek further explains, the
relationship between Shakespeare's plays and Czech
18

theatre design

& technology

S u m m e r 2 0 1 7

culture is complex and exceeds the "quasi-imperial map
tracing spheres of influence of the Elizabethan classic
in regions outside the centre" (2016, 747). The territory has a long tradition of staging Shakespeare. In fact,
his works, or their adaptations, were performed in the
area as early as during their author's lifetime by English touring companies, planting ever-growing seeds in
local cultural productions, including puppetry. The organic links between Shakespeare's plays, his world, and
the Czech culture can be also found in the references to
the Czech lands and culture that the plays contain, as
well as in the actual historical connections between the
two countries (Drábek 2016, 747-8). As a result of the
intricate interconnection, Shakespeare's plays are not
considered "foreign or imported, and though they have
been retranslated for nearly every generation and every
change of cultural taste, they reenter their ancient domicile, in the very heart of European culture" (Drábek
2017, 13).
However, it is not only the significance of Shakespeare in Czech culture that the exhibit unveils. In spite
of the exciting developments in theatre brought about
by daring artists and thinkers over more than 100 years,
theatre design as one of the elements of performance
does not seem to receive much recognition outside a
relatively small community of specialists. Too often it
is not even considered an art with the ability to communicate ideas but rather as a technical, utilitarian skill,
or a rather passive sub-discipline, fulfilling the objective
of mimetically showing the location of the performed
story.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2017