School by Hron

Who was Jakub Hron Metánovský? An eccentric teacher, a quirky inventor, or a forgotten genius? A professor at the Hradec Králové grammar school whose passion for research, creativity, and teaching knew no boundaries. He became the real-life model for the legendary Jára Cimrman. Karel Čapek called him “the Don Quixote of the 19th century, whose Dulcinea was science.” Drak’s new production sets out on a playful journey through the world of his unexpected ideas, bizarre discoveries, and his boundless passion for knowledge. It takes you on a trip into the soul of a man whose imagination had no limits, for whom experimenting and inventing was the greatest adventure, and who was never discouraged by failure. Yet, there were plenty of those!

Join us for his curious, extraordinary lesson in natural science. With the help of his fellow co-scrutinizers: the physical quantities span, massiness, temperature, and etheric force, he will reveal the world as you have never seen it before. He will explain what you never knew, and what you never knew you wanted to know. He will solve problems you never knew you had. He will invite you into his all-embracing cosmos of thoughts and visions, where a meter is a meter, and yet is not. He will offer for your delight and amazement a palette of inventions that make the world a better place. Or at least a happier one. Above all, he will infect you with his inexhaustible passion for discovery, thinking, and learning. For knowledge is pure joy! Who knows it not, knows naught. Indeed!

Škola Hron – foto Pavel Pljuskov

The War of the Buttons

The story of a boyish war between two village gangs set against the backdrop of a real war.  How does a children’s game mirror the adult world, and what does it reveal about it? What continually fuels their mutual hatred rooted in grudges no one remembers?

Though The War of the Buttons takes place over a century ago, its message remains deeply relevant. By bringing adult conflicts into a children’s setting,  Louis Pergaud, its author, insightfully highlights the absurdity of war and the irrational reasons behind it. He has thus created a miniature world where social issues are unmistakably clear: fear of otherness, the need to create enemies, social and gender (in)equality, the uncritical adoption of established patterns, raising children with old wrongs, domestic violence, and much more. These issues remain highly relevant and provide an excellent starting point for sensitive discussions with children.

Director Šimon Spišák’s adaptation draws on the book’s core metaphor, where strength is symbolized by an ordinary button. The absence of the button representing war capital naturally leads to nakedness, both figuratively and literally exposing the enemy to the bone, making fighting impossible. In the world of our child heroes, strength is measured in the most mundane way possible, following the example of their fathers, by physical ability. With a generous dose of humour and exaggeration, the production asks whether there is any escape from this cycle.

Please note that during the performance, child characters occasionally use vulgar language. This choice is not purposeless;  it serves to authentically portray the passion of the young heroes within their imaginary world of play.

In the media:

“Šimon Spišák and Barbora Kamenická Pokorná came up with a combination of a highly entertaining, playful, and alienating spectacle with straightforwardly didactic moments. (…) The didacticism of The War of the Buttons is acknowledged but at the same time cleverly dosed not to become obnoxiously violent. This is because it refers with amused exaggeration to a theatrical situation just seen, which might otherwise have passed for a simple joke. It can also be seen more broadly: if I am correct, Drak is consistently involved in this type of production, and they seem to be well aware of what they are doing.”

Vladimír Mikulka, 13. 10. 2024, nadivadlo.blogspot.com

 

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