Self-discipline, Vision, and Shakespeare Under the Open Sky
www.posiv.cz ǀ 75
POSITIV MAN
why it worked out. But there are always stressful
moments – someone gets ill and we have to find a last-
minute replacement, the weather turns bad, and so on.
But the longer we do this, the more those stress levels
decrease. Experience helps us deal with unpredictable
situations much better.
The festival attracts over 20,000 visitors each year.
How are their expectations changing, and how
do you respond to that?
I think expectations have gradually shifted, especially
when it comes to comfort and services. It’s now more
of a social event than just an artistic or theatrical one.
At the beginning, people were happy just to see their
favourite actors and a good play. Now, they expect
more – things like blankets, complimentary drinks,
and similar touches. Every year, we welcome a lot
of new visitors who’ve never been to an event like this
before – it’s often their first real encounter with theatre.
So we try to accommodate them. And I think that’s
the right approach.
What piece of audience feedback has pleased
or surprised you the most in the past?
That’s a bit harder to answer, because apart from social
media, we don’t really have a structured feedback
system – our main indicator is attendance. But what
always pleases me most is when we manage to offer
something different or unconventional, and people
respond positively to it. In general, I’ve noticed that
Czech theatre audiences tend to be quite conservative
– they know what they want and rarely give creators
much room for experimentation. So when we step
outside the comfort zone, you can definitely feel it in
the audience’s reaction. Still, I believe the Festival has
a good reputation, and we do a lot to maintain it.
Why did you choose Othello and the Slovak Hamlet
as this year’s premieres?
Othello is a Prague production, and since we stage
an original Ostrava production only once every two
years, this Shakespearean thriller takes the lead as this
year’s main premiere. Hamlet is a Slovak production
– a truly excellent one – and we’ve wanted to bring
it to our festival for quite some time. Next year, we’ll
be leaning more towards comedic titles again. Even
though Shakespeare wrote a great number of plays,
there are roughly a dozen that are particularly popular
with audiences, so the selection isn’t quite as broad
as it might seem.
What does working on the Summer Shakespeare
Festival mean to you personally?
My work always begins after the current season ends
and mostly takes place in the lead-up to the next
festival. Together with my colleagues, we put together
the programme, secure partners, financing, ticketing,
and so on. During the festival itself, I’m mainly involved
when complications arise – which, of course, is quite
normal.
Do you have a favourite Shakespeare play that
resonates with you personally?
The Comedy of Errors is the one closest to my
heart, partly because it was the very first production
we staged when we launched the festival in 2008.
I simply enjoy comedies. On the other hand, one
of the most powerful performances I’ve ever seen was
Richard III with Jerzy Stuhr in the lead role.
Your career moves between the worlds of technology
and culture – for example, in the Černá kostka
project. How do these two areas intersect in your
work?
Rather than a connection between technology
and culture, it’s really my passion for organising.
So I wouldn’t say that these two fields blend together
directly – it’s more about a similar process. Both involve
similar elements – society, creativity, and so on – so in
the end, they’re actually quite alike.
Do you still keep up with technological
developments? Has any app or tool caught your
attention recently that you now use at work or at
home?
Definitely – I use AI applications, both the standard
text-based ones as well as graphic and video tools.
I believe this is a technology that will not only change
the way we work, but will have an impact on society
as a whole, including areas we might consider fixed
or unchangeable. At the very least, it’s wise to start
preparing for that.
With all your activities, do you manage to find time
for yourself – for sports, hobbies, or relaxation?
What helps you recharge?
Not really – but I’m thinking hard about how to change
that.
Thank you for the interview.
The real barrier to growth isn’t
the agency – it’s the company’s mindset.