Kolonie, a game inspired by the tragic fate of the Prague colony Buďánka in Košíře

The Na Zábradlí Theatre presented the world premiere of Lucie Ferenzová's play Colony, inspired by the sad fate of the Prague colony of Buďánka in Košíře.

Today, only one house stands among the ruins. In the lush greenery, it serves as a memento of a vanished village in the middle of the city. During the twenty-year post-revolution struggle against indifference, passivity, and the corrupt environment of the authorities, this unique monument, referred to by experts as Prague's Montmartre or Smíchov's Golden Lane, has fallen into disrepair. The owner of this last house remains Ludvík Hradilek, and his daughter still resides here. It was from her encounters with Anežka Hradilková that Lucie Ferenzová drew inspiration while writing the play, with her imaginative memories of childhood in this "village in the city" forming the core of the entire story.

The theme of the production is memory and all its abilities to recall, re-present, and pass down a story; as well as the will to forget or deliberately alter the past.

“In the production, we not only return to the 1970s and 1980s when the house was inhabited by Prague's underground and dissidents; we also draw from the perspective of the youngest resident of the house who lives here now. Through the story of three generations of women, each of whom must come to terms with the legacy of this place in their own way, we touch on the mystery of memory, both personal and collective, a kind of tribal belonging; questions of responsibility and the continuity of relationships tied to a place.” says Lucie Ferenzová.

Buďánka
Buďánka is a former workers' settlement, now located in Prague's Smíchov in the area adjacent to Košíře (particularly around the street U Zámečnice, in the area between the Kavalírka estate and the natural monument Skalka). It was built by workers from a nearby sandstone quarry between 1820-1840 on the site of a vineyard. Many workers from the Tatry Smíchov, Břevnov brickyard, and others lived here. The settlement had around 20 houses, home to up to 300 residents (according to some sources, it had 24 houses). Since 1991, it has been a village heritage zone, but due to its dilapidated condition, their overall rescue is unfortunately already impossible. At the turn of the 70s and 80s, Svatopluk Karásek lived in Buďánka, where the group Plastic People of the Universe rehearsed and dissidents gathered. In the 1980s, almost all the houses were bought out from their owners, and the settlement began to fall into disrepair. Plans for their demolition were considered; a multi-storey panel house with 144 apartments for the Ministry of Interior and a swimming pool or health center Zámečnice was to be built in their place according to a zoning decision from 1988. The last person was supposed to move out in November 1989. However, due to the Velvet Revolution, this did not happen.



“We want to point out, among other things, the sad reality that the fates of some people and their homes have not been addressed even twenty years after the regime change. Elected representatives continue to engage in activities whose purpose is unclear, or rather too clear – they prefer personal gain or the benefit of affiliated individuals, while those whose interests they should be defending are the ones suffering. We want to show that not everyone has given up. The current plans of the friends of Buďánka do not include the restoration of the original houses, but they strive at least to preserve the greenery and transform Buďánka into a park, a meeting place for the inhabitants of Smíchov and Košíře.” adds the production's director Lucie Ferenzová.

The production consists of two parts – the first is a theatrical revue with live music, presenting the history of Buďánka through the story of three generations of women connected to this place, and the second is an informal discussion with the owner of the last inhabited house, Anežka Hradilková, and her guests, supplemented by documentation of materials from the pre and post-revolutionary development of Buďánka with all the absurdities of the complicated development culminating in the contemporary developer project of "completion".

Dramaturgy     Ivana Slámová
Set and Costumes    Jana Hauskrechtová
Music     Roman Zach

Script and Direction     Lucie Ferenzová

Cast and Characters
Anna    Jindřiška Křivánková
Sister    Magdaléna Sidonová
Mother    Marie Spurná
Elka    Kristina Maděričová
Prince   Ladislav Hampl
Cop    Ondřej Veselý
Musicians    Roman Zach, Jana Kozubková, Jiří Pletánek


Lucie Ferenzová (1981)
Dramaturg, director, playwright.
Before studying Czech Language and Literature at FFUK and DAMU, she worked at the Podobojí živanti theater (site-specific projects based on texts by Ladislav Klíma, Fernanado Pessoa, Ivan Diviš, and others). Since 2001, she has collaborated with Multiprostorem Louny. As a dramaturg, she has worked with David Czesany (He is Not Like Him, Jackie, Faust, Bondycomix) and Viktorie Čermáková. At the Na Zábradlí Theatre, she has contributed to the dramaturgy of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play Complice (directed by D. Czesany) and Molière's Tartuffe Games (directed by Jan Frič). She has been the dramaturg of the Na Zábradlí Theatre since 2010. In addition to dramaturgy, she also directs: Player's Instinct, (F)racek, Tourist - all at DAMU, About a Little Girl and Benjamenta (Meet Factory), Doll (Rock Café Prague).