The Summer Shakespeare Festival (Czech: ''Letní shakespearovské slavnosti'', Slovak: ''Letné shakespearovské slávnosti'') takes place in the courtyard of Burgrave Palace at

Prague Castle Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kin ...

. The festival was originally initiated by

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then as ...

. The performances are also presented at Špilberk in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

and at

Bratislava Castle Bratislava Castle ( sk, Bratislavský hrad, ; german: Pressburger Burg; hu, Pozsonyi vár) is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on an isolated rocky hill ...

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

. The organizers closely cooperate with Martin Hilský, who translated most of the staged plays. So far, the most acclaimed was the performance of ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' in 2002. In 2004, director

Martin Huba Martin Huba (born 16 July 1943 in Bratislava) is a Slovak actor and director on stage and in film. In 1964 he graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU). He joined the Východoslovenské štátne divadlo (Košice State ...

was selected for an ambitious project, a performance of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' such as that one evening Capulets would be Slovaks and Monteks Czechs and the next day vice versa. The project failed, Huba said to the media that even though the dialogs translated by

Ľubomír Feldek Ľubomír Feldek (* 9 October 1936, Žilina, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak poet, writer, playwright, and translator. He is married to Oľga Feldeková. Feldek is the author of several books of poetry (''Kriedový kruh'', ''Paracelsus'', and ''Mil ...

and Martin Hilský were perfect, they somehow did not fit together. In the end, the only Slovak-speaking character was the Nurse, performed by

Emília Vášáryová Emília Vášáryová, Doctor Artis Dramaticae (hon.) (; born 18 May 1942) is a Slovak stage and screen actress, referred to as the "First Lady of Slovak Theater". During her over five decades long career, she has received numerous awards includ ...

Selected performances

* 2002 – ''King Lear'' (Lear:

Jan Tříska Jan Tříska (; 4 November 1936 – 25 September 2017) was a Czech actor who played over 160 roles across stage, film, and television. He worked in the United States after emigrating there in the 1970s, but later returned to his native country fo ...

, directed by Martin Huba) * 2003 – ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' (Hamlet:

Jiří Langmajer Jiří Langmajer (born 3 June 1966) is a Czech theatre, television, and film actor. Biography Jiří Langmajer was born in Plzeň, Czechoslovakia. He studied music and drama at the Prague Conservatory from 1981 to 1987. While still a student, h ...

, directed by Lucie Bělohradská) * 2004 – ''Romeo and Juliet'' (Romeo: Jiří Hájek / Ladislav Hampl,

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...

: Kateřina Čapková /

Zuzana Vejvodová Zuzana Vejvodová (born 19 September 1980, Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech actress.Zdeněk A. Tichý, Helena Šimáčková, Boris Hlaváček, ''Obrozené divadlo : Divadlo Na Fidlovačce 1921-2001'', ASA 2001, In 2000 she graduated from Prag ...

, Nurse:

, directed by Martin Huba) * 2005 – ''

Twelfth Night, or What You Will ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' (Viola: Jitka Schneiderová / Zuzana Vejvodová, Olivia: Linda Rybová / Hana Ševčíková, Feste: Jiří Langmajer /

Miroslav Táborský Miroslav Táborský (born 9 November 1959 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech actor who has appeared on Czech television series, as well as in American movies. Táborský studied physics at the University of Hradec Králové, and then graduate ...

, Malvolio:

Alois Švehlík Alois Švehlík (born 30 July 1939) is a Czech actor and theatre pedagogue. Life and career Švehlík was born in Pardubice, then part of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, in 1939. Together with his older brother Jaroslav, he became invo ...

/ Jan Vlasák, directed by Viktor Polesný) * 2006 – ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'' (Othello: Michal Dlouhý / Martin Zahálka,

Iago Iago () is a fictional character in Shakespeare's ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Iago is the play's main antagonist, and Othello's standard-bearer. He is the husband of Emilia, who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago hates ...

: Oldřich Navrátil,

Desdemona Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian ...

Lucie Vondráčková Lucie Vondráčková (born 8 March 1980 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czechs, Czech popular singer and theatre and film actress. She has won a number of awards, including the Best Actress award at the 2020 Prague Independent Film Festival for ...

/ Zuzana Vejvodová, directed by Petr Kracik)

External links

*
Photogallery from ''Romeo and Juliet''
at scena.cz Prague Castle Festivals in Prague Summer festivals Shakespeare festivals {{czech-stub

Selected performances

See also

External links