The Leaning Church

Based on the novel by Karin Lednická, The Leaning Church had its world premiere at the Petr Bezruč Theatre on April 22, 2022. Human stories may have been forgotten, but they are still alive. The chronicle of the lost city of Karviná is an authentic testimony to the life of the people and the passage of history – wars, political upheaval and national strife – in a region where coal dust fell on everyone.

Writer Karin Lednická was born in the industrial city of Karviná, grew up in Havířov and now lives in Ostrava. She has spent her whole life in the region whose history she studies. Today, the first two parts of the Leaning Church trilogy have been completed; the literary docudrama Životovice: the Image of a Forgotten Tragedy, was released in March 2022. Lednická is currently working on the final instalment of the Leaning Church trilogy.

The novel was adapted for the Petr Bezruč Theatre by playwright Anna Saavedra and directed by Janka Ryšánek Schmiedtová.

About the company

The Petr Bezruč Theatre is one of the most artistically outstanding theatres in the Czech Republic, as evidenced by its regular placement at the top of prestigious theatre polls.

The theatre primarily targets young audiences, including high school and university students, but also appears to older demographics. The Bezruč focuses on modern theatre, creative diversity and progress, regularly collaborating with leading Czech directors. The theatre’s original dramaturgy includes modern renderings of classical works, discovering and making space for new dramatic works and adaptations of interesting and iconic works of literature and film, often with a focus on regional themes. Since August 2019, director Jan Holec has been the artistic director of the Petr Bezruč Theatre.

In the 2022/2023 season, the Petr Bezruč Theatre presented the Czech premiere of The Last Match by the contemporary American playwright Anna Ziegler, directed by Jiří Pokorný, Štěpán Gajdoš’s new play Lessons of Hitchcock, and the award-winning play The Father by Florian Zeller, directed by Jan Holec. There were also classic titles – Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Michal Hába, and Kafka’s The Trial, adapted and directed by Jan Holec.

In the 2023/2024 season, the Bezruč will perform Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Katy Wéber’s poignant text Pieces of a Woman, Gogol’s explosive comedy Marriage and a contemporary adaptation of Schiller’s Mary Stuart. In addition to artistic director Jan Holec, Dodo Gombár and Janusz Klimsza regularly direct.