Tesla

Even though over 80 years have passed since his death, we speak the name of one of the greatest inventors of all time almost every day. Numerous technology companies are named after him, such as the American electric car manufacturer, or the Czechoslovak TESLA, which produced iconic televisions and tape recorders. His name is also immortalised as the unit of magnetic induction. Tesla fascinates and inspires. To this day, he is respected by a wide range of people: from professional scientists to do-it-yourselfers, enthusiasts and artists to numerologists and esoterics.

Komedie Theatre’s project is based on the key moments of Tesla’s life and work, both serious and scientific, along with his foggy, futuristic prognostications. After considering a wide range of materials from various sources, we formulated a dramaturgy offering three possible perspectives on the famous inventor.  From these, we created the three characters portrayed by the actors: three enthusiasts, each of whom decides to follow Tesla for a different personal reason. Together, the demonstrations and theatrical reconstructions performed by these three enthusiasts compose a mosaic portrait of Nikola Tesla.

A futuristic ceremony takes place during the performance, as set designer Olga Ziębinská transforms the stage into a curious laboratory. Here, the three actors attempt to reconstruct Tesla’s state of mind as he carried out his most fundamental research. Electricity is treated as a material in the performance, stripped bare and presented in its purest form. The actors also experience the effects of electricity on their own bodies.

Audience: adult, children 12+

About the company

Prague City Theatres are one of Prague’s most significant cultural institutions with a rich history dating back to 1950. Beginning in 2018, under new management headed by Daniel Přibyl as managing director and Michal Dočekal as artistic director, Prague City Theatres are comprised of three main venues: the Rokoko, ABC, and Komedie Theatres. In addition to those venues, activities and productions take place outdoors or in various non-theatrical buildings. The aim is to transform Prague City Theatres into a theatre institution with international connections that tackles today’s deep issues and plays an active role in the development of Czech and European theatre and society.

The Komedie Theatre is located in a landmark functionalist building that dates from 1930. Since 2018, the building has not only served the Theatre’s resident ensemble, but has become an open space for independent companies, co-productions, guest performances by regional and international companies, special events and festivals. The curator of the Komedie is Lenka Dombrovská.