About the ensamble

 The Pilsen drama ensemble usually prepares 5 - 7 premiers every season. Its broad repertoire also off ers, besides classical titles, current works by Czech as well as foreign playwrights. A huge advantage is its own “local” author. Excellent comedy writer Antonín Procházka, who is one of a kind in the Czech Republic, has been writing one successful title after another directly for this ensemble for 20 years. The majority of the comedies have been staged by the Czech and foreign theatres and some of them were broadcast by the Czech TV. The fi rst Procházka’s comedy comes from 1988, Keys for Sunday, and has had hundreds of repeated performances. Now he wants to attract spectators with his latest masterpiece called In the interest of the state in which a private life of individuals is aff ected by a society in which they live. The critical thorn in this work is the sharpest this time. Another play written for the Pilsen Theatre is The Best Day, written by a director of the DJKT Theatre Ladislav Smoček; this play portrays his own authentic experience of liberation of Pilsen by the U.S. Army. The drama ensemble closely works with playwright Pavel Kohout whose Arthur’s Bolero and Zeros have been staged in this theatre as world premiers The DJKT Theatre as the fi rst staged the Havel’s Temptation and included his last play, Odcházení, into its repertoire as well.

Pavel Pavlovský, who had been performing excellent roles over forty years, has been a drama director since 1992. His aim is to have an emotionally strong theatre touching timeless questions related to human existence as well as a theatre providing good quality entertainment. He relied on experienced key directors such as Jan Burian, Ladislav Smoček and guest director Juraj Deák. Martin Vokoun, a fresh Theatre Academy (DAMU) graduate, represents young blood in the theatre. The common denominator of all directors’ personalities is a thoughtful interpretation of the text, inventive layout of space and above all creative work with actors. Andrea Černá, Zorka Kostková, Štěpánka Křesťanová, Monika Švábová, Pavel Pavlovský, Martin Stránský and Antonín Procházka are actors who have been listed in the first three places of the most popular actors in the entire region for the past years.

Particularly younger members of the ensemble fi nd their priceless experience on a studio stage of the Chamber Theatre Club. These performances form an important and specifi c part of the theatre ensemble repertoire. Through its themes and eff orts to achieve a conceptual depth the plays invite particularly sophisticated spectators inspiring them to have the most essential contemplations and questions. Risk resulting from this minority focus attracts young artists involved in acting and other staging parts.

Ladislav Smoček