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Deeper expression

What started as a new work platform has become a movement
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By Steffen Silvis
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 20th, 2008 issue

Photo by Srdjan Stanojevic
Krepsko is airborne with the second installment of its "Twilogy," Alma and Amanda.
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Malá Inventura

(Small Inventory)
When: Feb. 20–25
Where: Various venues
Tickets: 60–190 Kč, available at the venues
For individual events, see the Calendar listings; for a complete schedule, check
www.malainventura.cz

When it first began in 2003, Small Inventory (or Malá Inventura) served as a platform for the new performance trends that were erupting in Czech theater. Over the years, it evolved into a dialogue with the wider Czech theater community, most of which had become rather conservative in its approach to the stage.
If the young artists of the Inventory’s first years were often dismissed as amateurs and hobbyists by more established performers, that is simply no longer possible after six years of innovative work.
Now in their 30s, these experimental artists have fully made the case that their work is as valid as the country’s classical repertory system — and certainly more adventurous. So Small Inventory not only continues to support challenging work, but has become a generational profile — in effect, a state-of-the-art address — on a group of artists who, as organizer Šárka Havlíčková says, “are bringing more life experience and a deeper expression into their work.”
Scattered over six days, and taking over such venues as Ponec, Alfred ve dvoře, Archa, Nablízko, the Duncan Centre and Roxy NoD, the sixth Small Inventory will again showcase the best from the Czech theatrical fringe. More than half of this year’s productions come with no language barriers, so English speakers will be able to see the range of styles and trends in Czech theater.
The following are some of the more promising performances open to monoglot Anglophones:
Portrait A new dance piece by the Prague-based Romanian choreographer Ioana M. Popovici delves into stories of guilt and forgiveness. Dancer Anna Caunerová won the 2007 Sazka Award for Discovery in Dance for her work in the piece. Ponec, Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 8:30
Trains: There is a Train Station in My Head The new Handa Gote multimedia piece is worth getting a ticket to. It’s a paen to train culture, from the rusting hulks of old boxcars to the peeling paint on abandoned stations. This homage to the industrial age of steam comes complete with a closely watched miniature train journey around the stage. Alfred ve dvoře, Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7
Dance of the Paper Dancers Twenty-three dancers take over the cavernous Czech Museum of Music on Karmelítská in what is billed as a “collage of alternative dance and music” created by Jan Komárek. České muzeum hudby, Thursday, Feb. 21, at 9
Waiting Room Many people have been waiting to see Farm in the Cave’s critically acclaimed piece, especially as the company has had to cancel past performances (including at last year’s Small Inventory) due to injury. With luck, this violent dance between accidental travelers will finally be up and running again. Roxy NoD, Friday, Feb. 22, at 6:30 and 8:30
Alma and Amanda (Twilogy — More Chapters) Although this is the second part of a Krepsko trilogy named “Twilogy,” one needn’t have seen the first to enjoy the second — and what’s not to enjoy, with performances by Henna Kaikula and the brilliant Linnea Happonen, who also directs the piece. It’s good to have Krepsko back on the boards, where they belong. Roxy NoD, Saturday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 and 9
Plačky (The Weepers) A bit rough on its opening some months back, this should be better-honed for Small Inventory. But even in its unfinished state there was much to admire in this performance piece about Slovak funeral songs and keening. The SKUTR ensemble (which includes the company’s young wizards Martin Kukučka and Lukáš Trpišovský singing) is in top form, matched by an amazing performance from the Slovenian actor Matija Solce. Archa, Saturday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 and 8:30
The Most Beautiful Famfulare in the World This year’s Small Inventory includes a number of projects that involve Vojta Švejda, one of the most promising of the next generation of Czech performers. Famfulare is billed as a “punk pantomine,” an improvisational look at power, heroism and a war with salami. Ponec, Sunday, Feb. 24, at 3
The festival will conclude with a day-long open public forum at Alfred ve dvoře on some of the newest trends in European theater, which will include artists from the United Kingdom, Poland and Lithuania. The forum is held in English, is free, and runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with audience members invited to come and go as they please.
 

Steffen Silvis can be reached at ssilvis@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (20/02/2008):

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