FALL OF THE EMPIRE – a look back at the festival
With the festival “ROZPAD IMPÉRIA,” (The Collapse of the Empire) symbolically inaugurated on November 17 as part of the celebrations of freedom, we responded to the war and the tense social situation in our country. It also marked the conclusion of a significant part of the extensive project “Provokující divadlo” (Provocative Theatre), which has been our direction towards engaged theatre for the past thirteen years, addressing current issues and events.
In 2010, we organized the festival “Putin’s Russia,” which initiated our appellative artistic creation warning against the danger from an aggressive East. Since then, we have continuously revisited this theme, not only by presenting the play “Putin lyžuje” (Putin Skis), but also through numerous discussions with political experts, politicians, journalists, and human rights activists. Our efforts took a new direction in 2014 after the invasion of Crimea and the occupation of eastern parts of Ukraine. We felt a sense of powerlessness due to the insufficient response from the democratic world and the trivialization of the threat posed by the growing influence of Russia’s energy dependence. A few months before the invasion of Ukraine, we began the implementation of the project “Provokující divadlo,” supported by the EHP and Norway Grants. Thanks to this financial source, we were able to fully develop our work. Unfortunately, the project’s content resonated strongly not only with the autumn elections in our country but primarily with the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine. We deeply mourn the tragic loss of human lives caused by the Kremlin’s imperial ideology. We confront our powerlessness through the means that are inherent to us – artistic creation and activism. This year’s festival was named “ROZPAD IMPÉRIA” (The Collapse of the Empire) to describe the moral and social process taking place in Putin’s criminal realm.
We presented our own productions and invited guests – Daria Gosteva with “Moskva-Dačnoje,” a delicate theatre and visual reminiscence of life on the outskirts of Moscow, and the “SPITFIRE COMPANY” with a theatrical adaptation of the work “Konec člověka!?!” (The End of Man?!”) by Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich. Although it was not our initial intention to invite productions featuring Russian artists, it coincidentally happened in both cases. Consequently, the theme of home, powerlessness, and collective guilt in the rise of a dictator resonated in the performances and discussions with actors, guests, and the audience.
Through the festival and our ongoing work, we aim to contribute to mutual strengthening in these challenging times and resist apathy with creative actions.
We express our gratitude to our partners and participants in discussions for their help in realizing the event, to photographers for capturing the atmosphere, and to the audience for sharing the moments and providing support.
If you would like to share your impressions of the festival with us, we will be delighted. We look forward to all inspiring feedback and wish you a beautiful Advent time. And of course, we look forward to future encounters.
