Thomas S. Eliot wrote his poem – an opus magnum of the 20th century – as a reflection of the horrors of WWI and situated it in a landscape woven from the historical consciousness of humanity and voices of European literature. Through this open barren land, where town meets sea and desert and the state has collapsed, rambles don Quixote, the wandering knight who upholds the values of chivalry and never loses his faith in the power of love. Is he obsolete, foolish? While don Quixote’s acts are incomprehensible by reason, our hearts root for him. The production searches for the fundamental values in a country swept by the war. It is also a tribute to the naive adoration of Dulcinea del Toboso and to the thousands of heroes conceived by human imagination, the great spirits shining as a still point of the turning world.

Don Quixote. The Waste Land

State Opera

Shakespeare’s immortal tragedy about the world’s injustice, the burden of an arduous mission, and human small-mindedness. A ghostly journey in search for the meaning and sense of life, a drama where the past mingles with the future, a story about the erosion of the state, society and values.

Hamlet

National Theatre Prague

We are in 2034. Russia has occupied Ukraine and the Baltic States. Hungarians and Slovaks have left the EU and voluntarily acceded to the Russian Federation. The Czechs and the Poles are the only Central-European nations left to stand for European values. The West sees the two brave nations as a wall protecting European civilisation from collapse. The French write philosophical treatises about us, the Germans keep their fingers crossed, and the Americans send us military aid. Everyone is well aware that the Poles and the Czechs must stick together. Facing the imminent disintegration of the fractured EU, an idea arises to sign a Union Treaty that would unify the two nations. Time is pressing as the Russians are threatening to start a war, and someone must come up with a narrative that will support the historical ties between Poland and Czechia and prove that indeed they have always been fraternal nations, or one nation, actually. The problem is that neither politicians nor soldiers are capable of devising any such story, let alone selling it to people. So, the task to prove the existence of the Polish-Czech Union falls upon the personalities of culture.

The Unexpected VICTORY OF THE POLISH-CZECH UNION in World War III

La Fabrika

Hedda, the proud daughter of General Gabler, loves horse riding, playing the piano, and pistol shooting. To everyone’s surprise, the reserved, steely-eyed beauty marries the aspiring historian and soon-to-be professor Jörgen Tesman; returning from a long honeymoon, the couple move into a mansion fully satisfying Hedda’s wishes. Yet the ghosts of the past come forth. Tea Elvsted, a mutual acquaintance, comes to the town, joined by Eilert Løvborg, Tesman’s more handsome and talented rival and Hedda’s old flame. Back then, the demons of alcohol and drugs had destroyed Løvborg’s brilliant intellect, and his dubious reputation made him an unsuitable match for Hedda, both financially and socially. However, Løvborg has overcome his addictions with the loving care of Tea and even has a new book published. As Tesman’s prospects of the professorship seems uncertain and Hedda watches her dream life crumble, darkness, anger, and harshness take over her and she is ready to reckon with the world and those around her.

Hedda Gabler

The Estates Theatre

The councillors of Honice are to elect a bellman, the person responsible for security in the village. The task is formidable, with two strong candidates running for office – the veteran soldier Valentin Bláha and the tailor František Fiala. What is more, the mayor, Filip Dubský, and the first councillor, Jakub Bušek, obstinately sit tight, neither of them willing to compromise. The fraught situation is further aggravated by the municipal council receiving an anonymous letter threatening arson. A plethora of human types is presented on the stage – the “important persons” and their wives, old-timers, young lovers, lowlifes, pig-headed dimwits, tenacious truth-seekers and enthusiastic dupes. All of them live their little lives and great dreams, all of them desire, fight and argue, while the Red Rooster hovers above their roofs … Some 135 years after it was written, Our Uppish and Defiant Fellows is still a fascinating Czech play, a play about ourselves across generations and eras, a play in which the contest for the post of bellman becomes a gigantic struggle for truth and honesty.

Our Uppish and Defiant Fellows

A small town, where the old world of liberal fathers is fading away, sees the raise of young idealists proclaiming revolutionary slogans. Some believe this is an inevitable change. Others crave for power. But there are also those, the most dangerous ones, whose only purpose is overall destruction.

Marek Daniel

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 12 - Dec 20, 2026

Don Quixote. The Waste Land · Národní divadlo

Sep 21, 2026 - Feb 5, 2027

Hamlet · Národní divadlo

Sep 23, 2026 - Jan 17, 2027

The Unexpected VICTORY OF THE POLISH-CZECH UNION in World War III · Národní divadlo

Oct 5, 2026 - Apr 15, 2027

Hedda Gabler · Národní divadlo

Oct 10, 2026 - Feb 21, 2027

Our Uppish and Defiant Fellows · Národní divadlo

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