In 2025, our festival Ein Stück: Tschechien took place on two dates at the Theater unterm Dach, with a guest performance by A studio Rubín Prague and an evening of three staged readings of contemporary Czech plays.
Kickoff Berlin-Prague
On 10 June, the administration of the city of Berlin invited to the 30th anniversary of the twinning programme of Berlin and Prague. On the same day in 1995, the official exchange between the two European capitols commenced with the signing of the “Mutual Declaration” on the collaboration between Berlin and Prague by the Governing Mayor and the primátor of Prague. 30 years later, the Chief of Protocol and Head of the Foreign Affairs and Protocol Department of the State of Berlin, Georg Klußmann, as well as the Head of the department for International RElations of the Magristrate of the City of Prague, Zuzana Hocková, used the occasion for an official address at the Theater unterm Dach, as did Thorsten Schlenger, the head of same theatre, and of course the festival’s curator and co-director, Barbora Schnelle.
Following the reception, Drama Panorama presented the guest performance Abgrund (in Czech: Propast; engl. Abyss), a play by Dagmar Fričová, directed by Lucie Ferenzová, with Jana Kozubková and Šimon Krupa. The live interpretation was accomplished by Maira Neubert, with Barbora Schnelle’s translation.
During an aftertalk, the audience had an opportunity to meet the playwright and the team in person and to discuss their experience with them.
Then, on 29 June, Drama Panorama invited to the well-known staged readings of three contemporary Czech plays, especially and for the first time presented in German translation.
The reading, directed by Eberhard Köhler with Danila Korogodsky’s imposing design, presented these plays:
Tomáš Ráliš: Ausgewohnt, translated from Czech to German by Maira Neubert
Hana D. Lehečková: Trollmama, translated from Czech to German by Barbora Schnelle
David Košťák: Die vergossene Milchstraße, translated from Czech to German by Martina Lisa
Actors: Hannah Ley, Thea Rasche, Niklas Brubach und Henning Bochert.
After this show, the audience had once again an opportunity to meet the artists.
On this evening, too, the audience discussed the plays and contemporary Czech theater with the authors who had traveled from Prague.
Traditionally, the festival audience was asked to vote for their favourite play. The piece by Tomáš Ráliš received the most votes, winning the audience award at the festival Ein Stück: Tschechien 2025—congratulations!
The prize includes a residency in Berlin in 2016, combined with a staged reading of another piece by the winner. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
(All photos by Astra Zoldnere | Drama Panorama)
Great thanks to our supporters and funding institutions for making the festival possible in 2025.
