Nominations for the Theatre Critics’ Award 2019

The Theatre of 2019 Award may go to the Petr Bezruč Theatre in Ostrava, HaDivadlo Brno, and the Prague City Theatres. Three stages are nominated for the best Czech theatre of the past year in the competition of the Theatre Critics’ Award. The nominations also include 20 productions, actors and other artists. There were 78 productions taking part in the survey, the winner will be announced in the Comedy Theatre on March 16.

The Production of the Year award may go to Transky, body, vteřiny directed by Tomáš Dianiška in the Petr Bezruč Theatre, dramatization of Erben’s Kytice/Bouquet in the National Theatre in Prague directed by Martin Kukučka and Lukáš Trpišovský, and the production of The Prince, inspired by Niccolo Machiavelli produced by the Prague City Theatres in the Comedy Theatre in Prague.

Most nominations – five of them – went to the Petr Bezruč Theatre in Ostrava and Prague City Theatres (four of them went to the Comedy Theatre). The third place is occupied by the Pod Palmovkou Theatre and HaDivadlo with three nominations. Theatres in Prague have 14 nominations, followed by Ostrava with five ones, Brno with three ones, and České Budějovice and Liberec have one nomination each.

The jury considered 64 women’s performances, 82 men’s performances, 33 theatres, 41 Czech plays staged for the first time, 75 stage designs, 50 music pieces and 54 talents of the year.

The men’s performance of the year award may go to Jakub Albrecht for his role in Frankie the Armless in the od Palmovkou Theatre, Jakub Burýšek for his role in Transky, body, vteřiny and Miloslav König for his role in An Enemy for the People in the Comedy Theatre. The nomination for actresses went to Tereza Dočkalová for her role in Faust, Radka Fidlerová for her performance in King Ottokar’s Fortune and End and Erika Stárková for her role in Lazarus.

In the category of the biggest experience in international theatre with no awards, the first place went to Grillparzer’s King Ottokar’s Fortune and End directed by Dušan D. Pařízek in Volkstheater, Vienna and staged at the Prague Theatre Festival of German Language. 82 critics were participating in this year’s survey of World and Theatre magazine.

As far as the history of the awards is concerned, the most successful theatres are the Dejvice Theatre and the Theatre on the Balustrade, who have won five times, followed by the Comedy Theatre (with various companies) and the Klicpera Theatre in Hradec Králové that have won four times. The most successful theatres in the Production of the Year category are the Theatre on the Balustrade, National Theatre in Prague and Dejvice Theatre.

photo: Prague City Theatres – The Prince