“This year, we understand dialogue not only as a social motto, but above all as the ability to meet, listen to one another and share a common space. And the festival is the ideal place for such encounters to happen,” says Tomáš Jarkovský, director of Divadlo Drak and the festival's dramaturg. This year's programme will bring together international guests, the Czech theatre scene, contemporary circus, music projects and participatory events in public space. Its dramaturgy focuses on different forms of communication, sharing and experiencing the city together.
What is this year's REGIONY inviting audiences to?
The international section will open with the Catalan company La Perla 29 and its production The Tiger Lillies in A Macbeth Song, created in collaboration with the British band The Tiger Lillies and offering a dark music-theatre reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Other international highlights include the French productions Fathers, which opens up the theme of fatherhood and changing male roles, and BAD BLOCK, a unique fusion of high-tech digital art, sound art and delicate puppetry intimacy, as well as the Dutch punk retro cabaret BRASS.
A major part of this year's REGIONY will be the residency project no elders in this city, created as a co-production of Chemické divadlo, Divadlo Setkání, the REGIONY festival and the ART-IN-RES programme of Nová síť. The site-specific project is based on authentic testimonies from senior women and men and opens up themes of ageing, loneliness, care and intergenerational sharing in the city's public space. Seniors themselves are also actively involved in the creative process. “We wanted to create a project that would not speak about seniors from the outside, but would allow them to co-create the final form and let their own experiences be heard,” adds Barbora Hodonická, director of the non-profit organisation kontrapunkt.
During the festival, Divadlo Drak will become a multi-day family zone full of performances by Czech and international companies, creative workshops and open-air activities. The programme will take place both on its stages and outdoors in front of the theatre. As part of Drak Weekend, audiences will be able to see all three new Divadlo Drak productions: Krabat, Child's play! and School by Hron.
The Czech scene will bring, among other works, the premiere of an original adaptation of Orpheus and Eurydice by Divadlo na cucky, directed by Jan Frič, the production Time Shelter by Divadlo Na zábradlí, and an adaptation of Michel Houellebecq's novel Annihilation by Prague City Theatres. The festival will also offer experimental puppetry projects, music-performance productions and contemporary new circus.
A significant part of the programme will be made up of open-air productions and music events, most of which will be free of charge. Public spaces around the city will host movement projects, concerts, site-specific installations and acrobatic productions. The festival will also include debates, workshops, creative sessions and a festival edition of PechaKucha Night. The discussion programme will include, among other events, Studio N live with Filip Titlbach and the interview series How to Build a Festival?.
Programme, ticket sales and visitor information
The full programme and all practical information, including details about admission, can be found at festivalregiony.cz and, during the festival, also at the information stand in Žižkovy sady. Tickets are available online and at sales points including the box offices of Klicpera Theatre, Divadlo Drak and the Hradec Králové Information Centre. As is customary at the festival, the vast majority of outdoor productions remain free of charge or pay-what-you-can, allowing the wider public to take part in this cultural celebration. On the festival website, visitors can search and filter the programme not only by day, venue or type, but also by age suitability, which will be useful for families with children. The website also allows visitors to create their own tailored festival calendar and save it in the My Programme section.
Hadrián festival newspaper
Daily festival reporting will be provided by the traditional festival newspaper Hadrián. Its editorial team includes theatre critics led by Veronika Linka. Every day, audiences will be able to read interviews with guests, reviews and programme tips. As in previous years, Hadrián will be distributed free of charge at individual festival venues and will be available for download from the festival website.
Festival without barriers
This year, the festival will again offer Czech Sign Language interpretation for selected performances. In doing so, it aims to move closer to audiences and open the festival to as wide a public as possible. In cooperation with KukátkOO, interpretation will be provided for a total of eight festival productions for family audiences. Visitors can easily filter their overview on the festival website.