Dictionary of the Khazars

They were among the most influential powers in eastern Europe. They held dominion over swords, seven kinds of salt and dreams. An elite among the nomadic peoples, an island of diversity between Christian and Islamic superpowers. Khazars. They climbed to the top and then, suddenly, they disappeared. They evaporated. Their language resounds only in the song of the most educated Mediterranean parrots. Only a dictionary remains. But even that hasn’t been seen in years. The scant evidence of the existence and nature of this remarkable nation will be presented through the reconstruction of the famous travelling exhibition, On the History and Demise of the Khazar Empire. The exhibition was lost to fire, under unexplained circumstances, over fort years ago, while being transported to Poland. But now, under the care of an international team of scientists, it has been almost completely restored and will open once more to the public, teaching us about our future via a glimpse into the past. 

Directed by Jan Mikulášek, this production of the famous novel-lexicon offers a detailed report on the multiple paths leading to a single truth and the many ways that truth is interpreted. What does our civilisation have in common with those that have already died out? Is memory strong enough to guard against decay? Who wants to deprive us of it?

English subtitles available

Audience: adult, children 13+

About the company

A stage for contemporary themes and unexpected forms, Goose on a String Theatre is a Czech art movement whose origins can be traced back to the late 1960s and the period of the Prague Spring. Since 1967, the theatre has brought together theatre people, writers, musicians and artists, for whom art is a way of life and the creation of art a privilege. Based in Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, this theatre movement is characterised by its development of a unique heritage of ‘irregular dramaturgy’, which involves staging current, originally non-dramatic texts and non-textual concepts in non-theatrical spaces using the power of the imagination and shared physicality. The theatre’s work builds on freedom of expression, openness to dialogue and a plurality of opinions. Through its productions, it strives to overcome social barriers and contradictions, draw marginalised groups into the centre of public debate and strengthen social cohesion. Today, Goose on a String Theatre occupies a unique place on the European theatre map and collaborates with leading Czech and foreign directors. The theatre’s award-winning productions regularly appear at festivals around the world.

The widely acclaimed young dramaturge Martin Sládeček has been artistic director of Goose on a String Theatre since 2021.