When Czech nationalists founded the National Theater in 1868, its motto became "the nation to itself." Cynics are saying this motto has never been more appropriate than now. The country hasn't had a real government for more than seven months, and actors at the state-funded theater say the political chaos beyond the theater walls is starting to seep inside.

The face of that chaos is Jan Mrzena, the theater's embattled interim director.

Actors chide the former chairman of the Czech Television Council for his managerial background, saying he's a number-cruncher focused not on the arts but the bottom line. They call him incompetent, inexperienced and meddling, and say he got the job not for any artistic reason, but simply because he knew the right people.

In a letter to Culture Minister Martin Štěpánek late last month, a group of actors threatened to strike if he doesn't replace Mrzena immediately, saying he is unqualified for the job and that the system of appointing directors of cultural institutions needs to be more transparent.

Štěpánek sacked former Director Daniel Dvořák last fall, citing shady financial management and lavish spending on productions that failed to bring in much money. Despite massive protests from the actors, he appointed Mrzena as interim director.

The petition signers also criticize the way the Culture Ministry is going about selecting a new director for a theater that annually brings in more than 370,000 people and sees ticket sales of around 98 million Kč ($4.7 million). The ministry announced a competition for the post last month and gave potential candidates only 30 days to prepare.

Artists vs. bureaucrats

The actors argue that this automatically excluded all "serious candidates." Six people have applied for the job. One of them is Mrzena.

Dočekal stands behind the disgruntled actors. He says he is most upset about how Mrzena got his job.

"The current director isn't a director at all. He was appointed by a temporary minister, who's part of a temporary government," he says.

Dočekal looks just how you would expect a drama director to look: black sweater, black pants, black shoes, black-rimmed glasses framed by dark, stylishly side-swept hair.

"Of course, it's not really about Mrzena. I don't actually have a problem with Mrzena," says Dočekal. "I just want things here to be done in an open, transparent way. And that's not the case right now. I still don't know the real reason why Dvořák was fired, for instance. I'm not saying there's some big conspiracy, but I want answers. It's very odd when an experienced theater director is fired right at the beginning of the season."

Dvořák insists that an audit last spring that preceded his sacking wasn't fair and that administrators at the Culture Ministry shouldn't be the ones to judge whether a certain production is too expensive.

"What they're attempting to do here is economic censorship," Dvořák said via e-mail.

'Not healthy'

National Theater Ballet Director Petr Zuska sits in his office, relaxing after a rehearsal in a red bathrobe and slippers.

It doesn't take long before Zuska lets his frustration bubble up to the surface. "Things aren't being done in a competent, transparent way around here," he says. "The sacking of Opera Director Jiří Nekvasil is the perfect example."

Mrzena fired Nekvasil Nov. 24, saying he didn't handle finances properly. That was followed by an in-depth audit of Nekvasil's office at the end of the year. But Zuska says he saw the report and thinks that it didn't look at the economic situation of the theater holistically.

Zuska says not all productions should have to bring in a lot of money so long as some — like Don Giovanni, for instance — do very well commercially.

And although Zuska claims that the ongoing unrest isn't having any negative effects on his troupe, he calls the current atmosphere in the theater "definitely not healthy."

In his office on Národní třída, Mrzena sounds resigned to the criticism surrounding him. That's surprising given his aspirations to become the theater's permanent director.

Mrzena, sporting a gray suit and a conservative tie, says he understands how the theater's finances should be handled. He intends to stay and says all the current unrest will blow over.

"I'm just trying to get the finances of this place in order. The state spends more than 450 million Kč annually on running the theater. And that's a lot of money, so we have to make sure this money isn't being wasted.

"I don't want to interfere," he adds. "I'm doing audits and naturally that can cause a bit of tension. Actors are very sensitive."

Mrzena calls an actors' strike "a threat."

Ondřej Pavelka, one of the authors of the actors' letter, says Mrzena shouldn't be so sure.