2025/06/23 by Ciampi Matulova, Jitka
#Czechoslovak alternative theatre #Jan Šimek #Scenic sketch #The 1985 Project #Theatre on a String Brno
paper · doi:10.34629/rcdmt.vol.2.n.1.pp175-200
In the 1980s, the Czechoslovak alternative theatre company Divadlo na provázku (in English: Theatre on a String) explored the possibilities of combining multiple art forms and crossing the strictly defined boundaries of individual artistic disciplines. The starting point was their artistic programme of ‘irregularity’, which was reflected in all components of theatre production, the staging process, and the organisation of the ensemble. This case study presents a specific theatre project from autumn 1985 called The 1985 Project, which moved in between literature and theatre. The focus is on the scenic sketch The Monument (premièred on 30 November 1985), which was performed alongside an art piece by sculptor Jan Šimek. The essay considers the company’s functioning within a totalitarian communist regime characterised by censorship and describes the strategies necessary to achieve the première performance in front of an audience. The ensemble understood theatre as a tool in which individual performances were directed towards ethical rather than aesthetic goals.