CAST: Marie Jansová, Paulína Labudová, Jiří Kniha, Václav Marhold, Ondřej Novotný, Viera Pavlíková
DIRECTOR: Eva Rysová
SCRIPT and DRAMATURGY: Ondřej Novotný
MUSIC: Paweł Passini, Daniel Moński
STAGE DESIGN and COSTUMES: Anna Solilová
PRODUCER: Eva Dryjová
TRANSLATION OF THE SCRIPT TO ENGLISH: Pavel Theiner
Was born. But ages ago, hardly anyone would be able to remember it. Then she lived and acted. Well, she was born in Slovakia. Acted in Slovakia and had kids. Daughters. Two of them. She writes her own diaries, so, she may remember one day. She is called Augusta. And was born on 18 March 1924.
VIERA PAVLÍKOVÁ (1943, SK) – theatre, film and TV actress, graduate of the Musical Arts University in Bratislava. She spent an impressive thirty years as a member of the acting troupe of the theatre in Trnava, Slovakia. She also acted in several films, for example had a role in a film by Juraj Jakubisko and in the Czech film ´Želary´ directed by Ondřej Trojan. Right through to today she is cast in various TV series. After eight years she has returned to the stage by being in our production. She lives in Prague. She is returning to Edinburgh after fifty years when she performed here as a student of acting.
Viera Pavlíková
On the stage a really striking figure. In fact, he is so tall he finds it difficult to find his bearings,
where upstairs or downstairs is. He is so confused by his height that he suspects he is too small.
And all the time he wants to know the time. Everyone is too fed up by now to answer
leaving him with no other option than to keep uttering: „It´s late!“
He is called August. And was born on 18 March 1924.
VÁCLAV MARHOLD (1993, CZ) – film and theatre actor, graduate of the International Conservatoire in Prague (2013).
Still as a student he had a role in the highly acclaimed film by Agnieszka Holland ´Burning Bush´ as well as a major role
in the ´Holy Trinity´ directed by Jan Hřebejk. He is a member of the newly-formed generational Prague theatre X10;
here he has managed to create two roles under the direction of Jiří Honzírek and Viktorie Čermáková.
Václav Marhold
Her role is that of Čechov as well as a flea. Sometimes her memory goes off tangent and doesn´t know
whether she is speaking Czech or Slovak and thus prefers to speak Czechoslovak. One day she even
completely forgot where she lives resulting in the dramaturge taking her home with him.
She is called Augusta. And was born on 18 March 1924.
PAULÍNA LABUDOVÁ (1987, SK) – actress, graduate of Brno´s Academy of Musical Arts (2013). Although she only recently finished her studies she has already managed to collaborate with many theatres: the established ones such as the Theatre on a Goose String and the Moravian Theatre in Olomouc, and also with alternative and experimental (or generationally orientated) theatres (D´EPOG Theatre, Buranteatr, Tramtárie Theatre). As of 2014 she has a contract with the Ypsilon Theatre in Prague.
Paulína Labudová
An experienced warhorse of the acting milieu. Extremely amiable and likes to chat
to the audience, lest now and then he forgets that he is performing in a different show
or that he is without his trousers. At that moment he´d prefer to sink without trace.
To see his wife and son. But it´s a no-go. So, he eats a plum, at least he has something
to get his teeth into. He is called August. And was born on 18 March 1924.
JIŘÍ KNIHA (1981, CZ) – actor. Co-founder of DNO Theatre (2000), is active still here as
co-author and actor. He was a member of the famous Goose on a String troupe in Brno
for seven years (2005 – 2012). He is now a freelance actor and works on a guest
performance basis in many top-class theatres and productions (e.g. ´Europeana´ directed
by Jan Milulášek, Theatre on the Balustrade; ´Enchantia´ directed by Petr Forman, Prague´s
National Theatre), but he also devotes himself to alternative theatre and site-specific.
He has also acted in several films. For some years he puts on his own improvised evenings
at the Goose on a String Theatre.
Jiří Kniha
We have to remind her that she played under such famous directors as Jan Mikulášek and Petr Forman. Unfortunately, not one of them is called Charles which is the only name she is able to retain in her memory these days. She searches non-stop for sugar in flats belonging to strangers and quietly keeps sighing: „After all, it always used to be here.“ She is called Augusta.
And was born on 18 March 1924.
MARIE JANSOVÁ (1981, CZ) – actress, graduate of Brno´s Academy of Musical Arts (2006). She participated in several foreign study visits: Amsterdam Theatre School (2003), Łódź Film School (2004) and at the Theatre and Film School in Lisbon (2006). She has had many film roles in many Czech and foreign productions. Her last film role was in the American epic ´Child 44´ directed by the Swede Daniel Espinosa. She has a broad range of interest in the theatre, from her own cabarets and theatre mini-plays at the DNO Thetare (where she is the co-author) through site-specific and other borderline and experimental genres and right through to praised productions directed by Jan Mikulášek and Petr Forman.
Marie Jansová
Intrepid actor and dramaturge in one. Endangers his colleagues as he forgets where he´s put his tangerines. Or oranges.
Fact is, he is no longer able to tell whether they are tangerines or oranges. If he doesn´t have them his brain goes AWOL.
Doesn´t recognise anything. Hollow, up the spout. He is called August. And was born on 18 March 1924.
ONDŘEJ NOVOTNÝ (1984, CZ) – dramaturge, scriptwriter, actor, musician, graduate of Brno´s Academy of Musical Arts
(2010). He focuses, above all, on theatre and radio scripts. For example, has collaborated with Goose on a String Theatre
in Brno (script ´That Summer´ was awarded first prize in the Konstantin Treplev competition in 2011). At the present time
he is working on projects for established directors Jan Frič and Vladimír Morávek as well as the newly formed theatre
ensemble Masakr Elsinor which concentrates on theatre productions mixed with poetry.
Ondřej Novotný
She is completely lost in the area of space-time. Without a break she keeps talking to the actors in the Czech Republic in Polish and then she is all agog seeing they´re actually playing. She forgot to use her directorial skill at the start of the play and as a result nothing happens. It´s hardly a surprise that the dramaturge and actor in one keeps repeating like a stuck record: „I don´t get it, I don´t understand a thing!“ She no longer knows what she is called nor when she was born.
EVA RYSOVÁ (1984, CZ) – theatre director, translator, graduate of Brno´s Academy of Musical Arts (2011). She also spent a year studying at Cracow´s Theatre Academy (2007/8). Whilst still studying her production of ´Night of Murderers´ gained the top award at the Theatre Academies Festival in Casablanca (FITUC, 2008, Morocco). She started her professional career at one of the most respected Polish theatres, the National Old Theatre (Narodowy Stary Teatr) in Cracow, with her production of ´Twelve Stations´ (Dwanaście stacji, 2010). Up to now she has completed six projects in Polish theatres collaborating most of the time with the playwright and dramaturge Mateusz Pakuła. Their joint production ´At the End of the Chain´ (Na końcu łańcucha, 2012) was praised at the International Shakespearean festival in Gdańsk (2013) by the famous theatre theorist Patrice Pavis. Her most recent production, ´Hard Gun, Dead World´ (Twardy gnat, martwy swiat, 2014) was placed first in the Best Production of the Season
category by journalists and audience in a poll at the Kielce Theatre. Eva Rysová
PAWEŁ PASSINI (1977, PL) – director, composer, multi-instrumentalist, occasional
actor, scriptwriter and stage designer. Graduate of theatre direction at Warsaw´s
Theatre Academy and Academy of Theatrical Arts in Gardzienice, Poland. He has developed
into one of the most striking middle generation personalities in the field of theatre
direction in Poland. In 2008 he was nominated for two of the most prestigious awards
in Poland – „Paszporty Polityki“ and „Gwarancje Kultury“. By 2014 he has successfuly
completed dozens of his own productions and theatre projects which have been highly
acclaimed. For most of his productions he composes original scores and as a musician
often forms part of the accompanying ensemble. He is the founder and chief of the first
internet theatre, neTTheatre (2007). His production ´Turandot´ took two of the main prizes
at Edinburgh´s Fringe Festival in 2011 – the Total Theatre Award and Herald Angel.
In the autumn of 2013 was awarded the prestigious Konrad Swinarski Prize for the best
directorial work in Poland in the 2012/2013 season with his ´Morrison/Śmiercisyn´.
Paweł Passini + Daniel Moński
Out of the whole entourage they have reached the most advanced stage. It´s completely slipped their mind that they are performing with us and we saw them last during our premiere. They live in a world of their own, most likely the one behind the mirror. We swear though that we will never forget their musical legacy and (just to make sure) we keep playing it over and over again. Neither of them remembers when they were born nor what the other one is called. They suspect they are brothers.
DANIEL MOŃSKI (1977, PL) – musician, religionist, graduate of Warsaw´s Catholic Theological Faculty at Warsaw University. He has travelled widely in Asia, particularly the Middle East, in order to gain theoretical and practical musical knowledge. He lived and worked for several years in the UK. He specialises in percussion instruments and overtone chanting. He composes music for theatrical productions, he collaborated for example with directors Paweł Passini and Filiz Ozcan (UK). He has also collaborated with bands such as Masala SoundSystem, Trifonidis Roots Trio, Sabri Brothers, Alli Turnam as well as participating in Peter Greenawaye´s project. He is a member of several musical groups.
She forgot to order half the stage set meaning we´re now playing with just one half of the scenery. The same thing happened with the costumes forcing the actors to make-do as best as they can. In the middle of a performance they keep swapping them to make it seem there are plenty. And likewise the lighting, so, we end up playing some minutes in the dark. She doesn´t know what her name is or when she was born.
ANNA SOLILOVÁ (1986, CZ) – theatre stage designer and film set designer, graduate of Brno´s Academy of Musical Arts (2012). She has been professionally active in many venues in the Czech Republic and abroad. Apart from stage and set designs she also focuses on lighting design and experimental art. She has created sets for opera, drama as well as experimental theatre and dance. She has assisted the British stage designer and director Pamela Howard. She has been employed by Czech TV as set builder of TV programmes and independent musical video-clips. On a regular basis she co-operates with director Jiří Honzírek and dancer and choregrapher Lenka Vágnerová. She has published her own book of comics.
Anna Solilová
„The producer is a b…“ That´s how she is addressed when going to an important meeting and forgets to put on her stiletto shoes. She has a collection of shoes at home with which she lures sponsors, actors and technicians. Dates of birth get mixed up in her case with deadlines. She knows not what´s what nor the date today. Sometimes she is confused with the time of year but never ever forgets to feed everyone and get the coffee sorted. She doesn´t know what her name is nor when she was born.
EVA DRYJOVÁ (1982, CZ) – she graduated in Cultural Studies at the Philosophical Faculty of Prague´s Charles University. As part of her studies she spent six months studying at the Sociology Department of Université Rennes 2 in France. From 2008 (on an external basis) she works with the Centre of Choreographic Development (SESTA) as a producer and translator, where she also serves as a member of the Executive Board of Directors. Between 2009 – 2012 she worked as a sales officer for Prague´s Comedy Theatre. From 2010 she is part of the management of the non-profit association Rond which concentrates on presenting dance in open spaces. She participated as a producer and PR manager at the Stanislav Libenský Award (an international exhibition) in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Eva Dryjová