Just as previous events, this year’s festival will be English-friendly due to the international audience. Every performance will have subtitles and almost everything will be translated into English. This year’s theme, (In)visibility, is partly inspired by the form and spirit of last year’s virtual festival, which was accompanied by a feeling of alienation and incompleteness. Dr. Michal Zetel will again be the director of the festival. Photo credit: SETKÁNÍ/Encounter.
“Not being seen doesn’t mean not existing,” said Anna Magdalena Pavlicova and Michal Moravec, artistic leads of the festival, explaining the theme. “And what is seen may not necessarily be real. We can’t see with only our eyes. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to look beyond the visible in order to see the true nature of things. After all, even theatre is not just about watching, as the last months have reminded us again, with theatre buildings closed and replaced by videos. So what makes theatre, theatre? Let’s try to (consciously) overlook the boundaries, look beneath the surface, look inside and see it’s meaning: the meaning of theatre, the meaning of man, the meaning of meeting. Here and now.”
The festival’s venues will be the same as before, namely Husa na Provázku Theater, Sklepní scéna, and HaDivadlo, as well as the JAMU theatres at Studio Marta and Divadlo na Orlí. This year’s ambassador for the event will be Michal Isteník, a theatre and television actor from Brno and a graduate of JAMU.
The off-program section also has a new dramaturgical concept this year. ‘Attraction’ will involve spaces not normally used for performances, such as theatre balconies or Brno’s shopping passages. This is a one-day event that will take place two weeks before the festival itself, scheduled for March 17th, with the aim of transferring art into public spaces where students can try out new forms of performance.
The festival events will be held in accordance with any current public health measures which may be enforced in the spring. News and updates can be found on the festival’s social media channels: Facebook SETKÁNÍ / ENCOUNTER, Instagram @setkani_encounter as well as on the website.
