It is not complicated to be born. It is easy to die. To live between these two events is not necessarily impossible. It is just enough to adapt to the rules and accept their recommendations. In 1994, the French playwright Jean-Luc Lagarce re-worked a manual of good manners from the turn of the 19th and 20th century. He conceived the play as one long scene in which an actress in a flowery way explains and comments on a list of rules for good manners in basic life situations – the absurdity and comicality of the list quickly emerges. It is an unusual theatre form which conspicuously connects serious thinking about the sense of human existence with how man makes it bearable. Lagarce‘s play became a starting point for a new opera by a tandem of renowned artists from a younger generation, composer Michal Nejtek and director Jiří Adámek. The opera was commissioned for the Janáček Opera Ensemble of the Brno National Theatre. At an absurd banquet in the Luis-Bunuel-style, a chorus of four singers – age-long guardians of traditions and noblesse – accompany the audience through life from birth to death, using the rules for good manners.
About the company
Janacek Opera NdB belongs among the leading opera houses in Central Europe. During its existence, the opera ensemble has introduced significant productions, including world or Czechoslovak premieres (Janáček, Martinů, Shostakovich). Cooperates with theatres abroad (State Opera Vienna, Covent Garden Royal Opera), directors and conductors (D.Pountney, R. Carsen D. Radok, T.Hanus) as well as outstanding artists. Opera ensemble spans its activities across Europe (i.e. Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Asia).
genres
Opera / Music Theatre
THEATRE / COMPANY
Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno / Janáčkova opera NdB
CZECH TITLE
Pravidla slušného chování v moderní společnosti
AUTHOR
Michal Nejtek, Jiří Adámek
DIRECTION
Jiří Adámek
CHOREOGRAPHY
Zuzana Sýkorová
MUSIC
Michal Nejtek
DRAMATURGY
Patricie Částková
STAGE DESIGNER
Ivana Kanhäuser
COSTUME DESIGNER
Adriana Černá
SOUND DESIGNER
Michal Nejtek
LENGTH OF THE PERFORMANCE
85 minutes
NUMBER OF TRAVELLING PERSONS
30
LANGUAGE
Czech, Subtitles available
AUDIENCE
Adult