VÁCLAV HAVEL ♡ 90 A performance by the Vršovické divadlo MANA. Words without meaning, power without restraint. Havel's comedy about bureaucracy that talks just to say nothing. Cast: Vilém Udatný, Radek Valenta, Jakub Kropáček, Bořivoj Čermák, Dana Černá, Tereza Vítů, Tomáš Vlček. The play comes from a happy period in the author's life. He was already an established collaborator with the Divadlo Na Zábradlí when he came up with the absurd play The Memorandum in 1965, which deals with corporate communication. Through the artificial bureaucratic language of Ptydepe, careers are built or destroyed; artificial disinformation language is not only a source of misunderstanding but eventually a means of oppression and coercion. Havel depicts the bureaucrats' games for positions and privileges with brilliant hyperbole and captivating humor. It is remarkable that his play, like all good plays, is still very relevant. The effort to manipulate one's fellow human beings and discard moral values, and even all restraints, for career advancement was not a privilege reserved only for the generation of the 1960s. Even today, there are bureaucrats who blackmail their superiors with their weaknesses, obscure communication, flood the space with misinformation, and push others aside if a promotion is within reach. Even today, there are bosses who abuse their position, blackmail subordinates, treat them like servants, and deny them credit for their work. Even today's companies are filled with rumors, denouncements, and all sorts of intrigues. We may have freedom, but at the same time, we demonstrate a talent for making ourselves unfree through our ambitions or greed. And to make fun of these vices, to laugh heartily at what is actually more or less monstrous, can be very liberating.
VÁCLAV HAVEL ♡ 90 A performance by the Vršovické divadlo MANA. Words without meaning, power without restraint. Havel's comedy about bureaucracy that talks just to say nothing. Cast: Vilém Udatný, Radek Valenta, Jakub Kropáček, Bořivoj Čermák, Dana Černá, Tereza Vítů, Tomáš Vlček. The play comes from a happy period in the author's life. He was already an established collaborator with the Divadlo Na Zábradlí when he came up with the absurd play The Memorandum in 1965, which deals with corporate communication. Through the artificial bureaucratic language of Ptydepe, careers are built or destroyed; artificial disinformation language is not only a source of misunderstanding but eventually a means of oppression and coercion. Havel depicts the bureaucrats' games for positions and privileges with brilliant hyperbole and captivating humor. It is remarkable that his play, like all good plays, is still very relevant. The effort to manipulate one's fellow human beings and discard moral values, and even all restraints, for career advancement was not a privilege reserved only for the generation of the 1960s. Even today, there are bureaucrats who blackmail their superiors with their weaknesses, obscure communication, flood the space with misinformation, and push others aside if a promotion is within reach. Even today, there are bosses who abuse their position, blackmail subordinates, treat them like servants, and deny them credit for their work. Even today's companies are filled with rumors, denouncements, and all sorts of intrigues. We may have freedom, but at the same time, we demonstrate a talent for making ourselves unfree through our ambitions or greed. And to make fun of these vices, to laugh heartily at what is actually more or less monstrous, can be very liberating.