The Rainstick - guests for intermezzi

česky / english

The piece includes several brief intermezzi. On each evening, they are performed by a different guest, who has something to say regarding the themes and motifs of The Rainstick. The guest can be an artist in any field (dance, music, literature, visual arts, ...), theoretician (philosopher, sociologist, arts theoretician, ...), anybody with a specific insight. Our guests for particular evenings will be/ were:

Jiří Hájíček (evening 24 February 2023)

The author of The Rainstick, the novel constituting the last part of the loose "South-Bohemian rural trilogy of moral unrest". He started with poetry, then published several collections of stories and several novels, mostly related to South-Bohemian past and present. His books have been published in English, German, Italian and other languages.

Radovan Dluhý-Smith (evening 19 November 2022)

Radovan Dluhý-Smith is an independent researcher undertaking factual analyses of scientific and social phenomena. During the intermezzi and after the performance, he is ready to explain, among other aspects, the methods of weather control used by institutions, corporations, armies. On 19 November 2022, our performance is part of the Theatre Night.

Metrobus (evening 21 October 2022)

Metrobus is a group of people creating commented videos about public transport. They go through Prague stops and stations, lockouts and shutouts, news and transport events; they also examine controversial topics and points of interest. In The Rainstick, Zbyněk rides a motorbike, while the Metrobus people will use public transport - creating both entertaining and serious ride, both slow and speedy, both calm and turbulent.

Liv Hanne and Anne Katrine Haugen (evenings 16 and 17 September 2022 in Tromsø)

The Haugen sisters are dancers, actresses and versatile performers from the Norwegian Tromsø. (for details please look bellow at evenings 20 and 21 May 2022)

Kon-takt tribe (evening 28 July 2022 by the municipal swimming pools at Strakonice)

Performance with people from the marvellous tribe of para swimmers – by their hunting grounds and in their aquatic environment. The intermezzi were performed by the musician and tribe’s kind spirit Joseph Dušek together with several other brothers and sisters.

MUDr. Karen Pumrová (Midsummer Night 23 June 2022 at the Farmyard of Stará Boleslav)

Immunologist, paediatrician, owner of a hippotherapy centre. During her intermezzi, she will speak about the symptoms of crisis in current health care and potential ways out of them. The performance takes place on the Midsummer eve at the Farmyard of Stará Boleslav - Wolfpack Ranch - doctor Pumrová’s place. Depending on the weather, we will play in an open space or under a giant pergola.

Liv Hanne and Anne Katrine Haugen (evenings 20 and 21 May 2022)

The Haugen sisters are dancers, actresses and versatile performers from the Norway’s Tromsø – the largest arctic town, far beyond the polar circle. Their work is at the border of documentary and fiction and is strongly shaped by their North-Norwegian identity and background. Their aim is to bring everyday life into theatre and theatre into everyday life. In Prague, besides The Rainstick, they will also offer their performance called HomeMade taking place directly in a selected home – flat or house.
Their intermezzi in The Rainstick will deal with the expansion of industry to arctic nature, with a particular attention to sea landfills with mining sludge. The correlation with Indian notions outlined in The Rainstick is not accidental.

kamala de tar-is (evening 23 April 2022)

Co-founder of the Resetheus association aiming at the return to essential scientific ethos, transparency and freedom in academic research. Also agent in travelling, hospitality, event management; translator and lecturer in conscious work with the body.
During her intermezzi, she will talk about the significance of rights of the living person that are systematically breached mainly by corporations referred to as public authorities and governmental administration. The correlation with Indian notions outlined in The Rainstick is not accidental.

Martin Hybler (evening 9 April 2022 in Turnov)

Composer, orchestra conductor, arranger, pianist, author of many contemporary music compositions from pieces for solo instruments and chamber ensembles to large symphonic works. In his intermezzi, he uses piano and keyboard.

Jan Aksamít (evening 23 March 2022)

Jan Aksamít is a specialist in electrical engineering and electronics. For current Europeans, electricity and electronics are, from certain points of view, what soil and land used to be for American Indians or our middle European Celts. Assessment of power equipment is, in many respects, similar to assessment of land, the focal point of The Rainstick.

Divadlo Škola (evening 27 January 2022)

The Škola (“School”) theatre studio organizes theatre courses and creates theatre performances with Czech and Russian speaking students. Both creative and educational activities are supervised by the director and teacher Irina Sleptsova. In January, the intermezzi during The Rainstick will be performed, in a partly improvised manner, by: Polina Vybornova, Eva Zacharčenko, Nikol Gutu, Andrej Mežoch, Matvěj Kuzněcov, Fedir Važinsky.

TROISS (evening 20 November 2021)

Prague's jazz band. Romana Žabková, Juro Jašík, Jano Žabka. Unorthodox harmonies and arranging, impetuous and tender rhythms of two guitars, harpy singing, solos played with nylon strings.

Gabriela Kontra (evening 21 October 2021)

Photographer and documentarist. She has been involved in a number of photography projects and exhibitions, has created a documentary Birth Plan on Czech obstetrics, was co-founder and for many years manager of the Bajkazyl centre for independent culture. Currently she teaches at the FAMU (film academy of performing arts in Prague) and is preparing two documentary books, one focused on Prague's places of alternative culture, second one about the contemporary phenomenon of giant one-day rave parties. Her photographs from the second book are part of the scenography in The Rainstick.

Jiří Hájíček (evening 17 September 2021)

Jana Machalíková & Jakub Troják - Improvize (evening 10 August 2021)

Jana is reciter, storyteller, actress, improvisor and medical clown, interconnecting these roles in her teacher’s, actor’s and clow’s work. She lives her improvisation dreams together with Jakub Troják in the Improvize group.
Jakub is book graphic designer and improvisor, creating connections while acting and singing. He makes Jana Machalíková live her dreams in the Improvize improvisation group.

Tomáš Nielsen (evening 5 August 2021)

For many years, he has been active in internet and media law, including protection of personality, privacy and personal data. He was lecturer at the Faculty of Law (Charles University) and Czech Technical University in Prague. Awarded the Lawyer of the Year in IT for 2018, author of a number of publications. From 2020, he is involved in protection of fundamental rights and liberties and principles of a democratic society subject to the rule of law.

Dr. Jozef Hrušovský - Nijo (evening 4 August 2021)

Visionary and planetary scholar of cosmic sciences. Let strength be with you.

Gabriela Kontra (evening 17 June 2021)

Vanessa Anna and Zdeněk Vejvoda (evening 16 June 2021)

Vanessa Anna is dancer, snake woman, passionate writer of both poetry and prose, and viewer and admirer of the world. She is convinced that art reflects the nation. Zdeněk Vejvoda belongs to the contemporary Czech techno scene, is a member of the Harmony Rec. music editors and moderator of the Isolate internet radio station in Brno.