Brno City Council today appointed Petr Štědroň as the new director of the Brno National Theatre (NdB). He will take up the position on 1 August 2028, replacing the current director Martin Glaser, who will take over as director of the National Theatre in Prague.
Štědroň, an experienced dramaturg, translator and cultural manager, is currently the director of the Na zábradlí Theatre in Prague. He was chosen via a selection procedure based on the recommendation of an expert committee.
“I am glad that the commission has selected – and that Brno City Council has decided to appoint – a respected theatre artist with a renowned team to the head of the Brno National Theatre,” said Glaser. “Together, they will certainly bring valuable impulses to the theatre. Petr Štědroň declared in his pitch that he wants to continue our work in an evolutionary way, which makes me very happy. Therefore, I believe that the handover of the theatre will go smoothly and I will be as helpful as possible, as will all the members of my team.”
“I greatly appreciate the trust that the selection committee has placed in me,” said Štědroň. “I would like to continue the work of director Martin Glaser and his team. I want to make NdB a key player in national cultural events and develop top-class performing arts, the perception of the strong social role of theatre, and the deepening of foreign cooperation.”
The key artistic director positions will be filled by Dora Štědroňová (drama), Daria Klimentová (ballet), Jakub Klecker (musical director of the opera) and Aleš Kučírek (administrative director of the opera).
Brno City Council announced the selection procedure for the position of NdB director on 28 May 2025. Applications were open until 30 September. The selection committee met on 18 November and recommended the order of candidates to the City Council. Petr Štědroň’s winning concept for the development of NdB for 2028–2032 has been published on the City of Brno’s website here (in Czech).
Also on the final shortlist of four candidates were Petr Michálek (rector of JAMU), David Gerneš (director of the Moravian Theatre in Olomouc), and Martin Gerych (financial director of the National Theatre).
The current management will prepare the NdB artistic program until the end of the 2027/28 season, including the Divadelní svět Brno festival. The Janáček Brno Festival 2028 is already in an advanced stage of preparation, and will remain the responsibility of the current management. The program will be published, as always, a year in advance in autumn 2027. Petr Štědroň’s new team will present its plans for the 2028/29 season in early spring 2028.
