LANDSCAPES OF THE CZECH INDEPENDENT PERFORMING ARTS provides open-source material to help navigate the diverse and rich artistic environment. It is a collection of festivals, venues, residency places, platforms, associations, and publications. Yet, this list is not complete; and probably such a list can never be complete as the Czech scene is significant for its richness and diversity. There are dozens of agents, events, initiatives, festivals that are popping up and disappearing as people, who are making them grow, shift their positions, change priorities, move to another city or country. The second aspect that prevents this list from being complete is instability. Many of those who are mentioned and many of these who are here unnoticed are operating on very unstable ground. The conditions of support are changing, shrinking, and very often don't allow us to maintain the activities on a long-term basis. Also, there are some that do not leave any trace behind besides an outdated Facebook event, Instagram post, or website with limited information. Yet, they need to be acknowledged. It is not only the big houses, established festivals, and platforms that keep the scene alive. The essential role is played by the community events, offspaces, and irregular and spontaneous endeavors that are operating at the very edge of performing arts and other disciplines. 

 

By explaining this, we do not want to excuse ourselves for not knowing, but we want to take this as an invitation to explore a way beyond this list. Yet, we hope that you will find this document beneficial as a basic cartography of independent performing arts in the Czech Republic. 

 

Enjoy your journey across the LANDSCAPES OF THE CZECH INDEPENDENT PERFORMING ARTS  🌱