Collections and Archive Department
Personalities of Czech Scenography
This publication series emerged out of a series of monographs devoted to scenography that were published by the Arts and Theatre Institute (at that time the Theatre Institute) under the series title Director–Scenographer (Režisér-Scénograf) between 1970 and 1989, which showcased the work of scenic artists such as František Tröster, Josef Svoboda, and Adolf Wenig. The series continues today under a new title, Personalities of Czech Scenography, which focuses on showcase the work of costume and scenic designers who have had a strong hand in shaping the aesthetics of the theatre in recent years, but whose work has yet to receive any closer attention (e.g. Jan Vančura, Helena Anýžová, and Irena Greifová). Each publication is a valuable resource for research in theatre and scenography.
Czech Theatre Studies Department
The Czech Theatre Encyclopaedia
This series presents information on the history of theatre on the territory of what is now the Czech Republic, both Czech-language theatre and work in other languages. This information is published in biographical dictionaries produced in print and electronic format. We study the life and work of people in the theatre, literature, and repertoire lists, and make comparative studies of the dramaturgy and characteristics of theatrical works, and the results of this research are published in monographs, lists, and biographical entries. These biographical entries are composed with a view to capturing the overall character of the person who is the subject of the entry and that person’s work, and to ensuring the entry provides the most up-to-date information available, and we also devote attention to the inclusion of illustrations.
Nota bene
This publishing series was founded in 2017 and is a counterpart to the biographical dictionaries that are published in book form. The publications in this series include monographs and edited texts (correspondence, diary entries, memoirs, and archive materials) that provide authentic testimony about the life, fate, feelings, dreams, and reality of significant figures in the field of theatre, as well as other artists. We believe that these kinds of materials can serve as meaningful companions to the lexicographic work of the Czech Theatre Encyclopaedia.
Publishing Department
Czech Theatre (České divadlo)
Original writings on theatre history and the theory of Czech theatre, often prepared with expert cooperation and consultation with the department’s editors.
World Theatre (Světové divadlo)
Original and translated works devoted to the theory and history of theatre around the world.
Essays, Criticism, Analyses (Eseje, kritiky, analýzy)
This special subseries of Czech Theatre releases anthologies of writings by important Czech theatre critics and theorists, studies on authors, annotated bibliographies, and more. The Publishing Department produces this series in cooperation with the Czech Theatre Studies Department.
Plays (Divadelní hry)
The Plays series consists of anthologies of classic works of drama in translation and especially plays by 20th-century authors. This series has the prestigious task of producing new and revised translations of plays, edited with a view to ensuring the literary quality of the translation, while also taking into account the need for a ‘speakable’ text and the requirements of an actual performance. Each book also includes a lengthy essay on the author of the plays and biographical and bibliographical information.
Contemporary Plays (Současná hra)
Translations of contemporary international drama. This series has helped bring many important international titles to the Czech stage.
Visegrad Drama (Visegrádské drama)
This series was published in cooperation with theatre institutes in Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary and in three volumes presented a cross-section of dramatic writings from the region dating from the late 19th century up to the 1960s. The fourth volume planned, which was to contain plays from the 1980s and 1990s, was never published.
Periodicals
Theatre Review (Divadelní Revue)
This is a peer-reviewed theatre arts periodical that is published by the Arts and Theatre Institute three times a year and that was first published in 1989. The Czech Theatre Studies Department edits and produces the periodical and oversees its academic quality.
Czech Theatre Magazine
This periodical is published in English and informs readers about the most important events in Czech theatre from the past season. It contains summary articles and portraits of Czech theatres, companies, ensembles, and individual artists, written for an international readership. The periodical focuses mainly on drama, but it also selectively reports on other areas of theatre (e.g. puppetry, opera, ballet, dance and movement theatre, scenography) and contains information about theatre awards, new Czech plays, festivals, and exhibitions. The periodical is edited and produced by the Publishing Department.