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 king ...

. 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 ...

. The performances are also presented at Špilberk in Brno 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 ...

in Bratislava. 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 ...

'' 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 Stat ...

was selected for an ambitious project, a performance of '' Romeo and Juliet'' 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 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.

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, directed by Lucie Bělohradská) * 2004 – ''Romeo and Juliet'' (Romeo: Jiří Hájek / Ladislav Hampl, Juliet: Kateřina Čapková / Zuzana Vejvodová, Nurse: Emília Vášáryová, 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, Malvolio: Alois Švehlík / Jan Vlasák, directed by Viktor Polesný) * 2006 – '' Othello'' (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 ha ...

: 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 / 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