The European experimental theater will evaluate the symposium in Ljubljana

Prague - Experimental theater and theater in unconventional spaces in the second half of the 20th century will be the topic of an international symposium that will take place on November 26 and 27 in Ljubljana. Experts from Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic will address experimental theater as an artistic discipline as well as a social phenomenon in the context of Central European post-war development in their contributions.
    "The conference is part of a multi-year international project TACE (Theatre Architecture in Central Europe) - Theater Architecture in Central Europe," announced Silvie Marková from Smart Communication to ČTK.
    Experimental theater emerged in Central Europe in the second half of the 20th century, separated by the Iron Curtain, thus under specific social and historical conditions. It was a response to the often ideologically tinged theatrical events taking place in official institutions. This made it a tool for modernization and especially for the democratization of society.
    "Even after the fall of the Iron Curtain, theater practitioners are seeking new forms of performance and new venues suitable for their realization. Unconventional theater is again becoming a way to respond to the social situation. One example is the alternative use of historical and industrial buildings, which often deteriorate without public interest," Marková added.
    The result will be a publication that in 2010 will include both contributions from the symposium and a collection of more general reflections on the subject. An exhibition opening of student designs for a new theater for Ljubljana, developed as part of the international workshop Theater Architecture - Visions and Possibilities, which is also part of the TACE project, will also take place.
    The multi-year international project TACE is organized by the National Theater in Prague in collaboration with significant theater institutions from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Slovenia. The project, which is supported by a grant from the European Union's Culture 2000 program, was initiated by the Arts Institute - Theater Institute. Its goal is a detailed mapping of Central European theater architecture. It will include a major traveling exhibition titled Central European Theater Architecture - History and Present, which will be presented for the first time at the beginning of 2010 at the National Technical Library in Prague.
    Updates regarding the TACE project and developments in theater architecture in Central Europe and around the world can be found on the website www.theatre-architecture.eu.