“You don’t need a tie… This way, you’ll seem closer to your voters. And you’ll breathe much better.”
Jan Lukáš makes a living writing scripts. He’s about to submit one because the filming deadline is approaching rapidly, but unfortunately, he’s nowhere near finished. He hopes for some help as his wife, Gabriela, is leaving to visit her parents, meaning no distractions. However, Jan Lukáš doesn’t dive into work after her departure. Instead, he opens a beer and some crisps. Simply put, laziness strikes him—a deadly sin. Will he stick to just one, or during one evening, will Jan Lukáš manage to commit all seven?
Patrick Blanc earns his living as a chauffeur for the leaders of a political party. He’s a man without any life accomplishments, a fact he’s self-critically aware of, sometimes displaying signs of utter incompetence. However, a significant change awaits his life. The party he chauffeurs for plans to nominate him as a candidate for the presidential elections. To rise from the ashes, they must hit rock bottom. And who better to use than the weakest possible candidate?
Jan Lukáš and Patrick Blanc are the heroes of two yet-unperformed French comedies in the Czech Republic. Both one-act plays will unfold on the main stage of the Šumperk Theatre as a single performance, a challenge for the actor portraying these distinct characters
Odkaz na webové stránky Divadla v Šumperku
Links to the playscripts King of Fools and A Hell of a Night
PREMIERE : 16/12/2023
Author: Jean-Pierre Martinez
Translation: Jaromír Janeček
Director: Martin Tichý
Scenography: Markéta Oslzlá-Sládečková
Music : Mario Buzzi
Dramaturgy : Michael Sodomka
Cast
A Hell of a Night
JAN LUKÁŠ Alexandr Stankuš
GABRIELA Dana Tolarová
STANISLAV Adam Joura
DEBORAH Ladislava Jančíková
POSLÍČEK S PIZZOU René Šmotek
King of Fools
PATRICK BLANC, candidate for the Social Party: Alexandr Stankuš
DOMINIK, head of Social Party: Petr Komínek
VANESSA, assistant: Ladislava Jančíková
ALEX CHATTERTON, communication advisor: Dana Tolarová
CLAUDE DE CASTELJARNA, Head of Country Party : René Šmotek
FRED ÚBERMANOVÁ, Independant Candidate : Olga Kaštická
REPORTÉR : Adam Joura
Excerpt from the information portal on theater in the Czech Republic
Divadlo Šumperk will present two one-act plays by the French playwright Jean-Pierre Martinez in their Czech premiere.
“Divadlo Šumperk will present, in the Czech premiere, two one-act plays by the French playwright Jean-Pierre Martinez. The plays titled ‘A Hellish Evening’ and ‘Trap for Fools’ will have their domestic debut next week, both performed as a single show on the main stage of the Šumperk Theatre, as announced today by the theatre’s dramaturge, Michael Sodomka. The premiere is scheduled for Saturday, December 16, and will be personally attended by the comedy author, Martinez, who ranks among the most performed contemporary playwrights.
“It involves two one-act comedies performed in a single evening, which is quite a unique format. Both comedies by the French author Jean-Pierre Martinez, who is relatively undiscovered in the Czech Republic, will be presented here for the first time. His plays are performed in nearly a hundred countries worldwide, with characters speaking a variety of languages, not just in French,” stated the dramaturge. He added that the translator from French, Jaromír Janeček, has contributed to popularizing the author.
Both one-act plays will unfold on the main stage of the Šumperk Theatre as a single performance, posing a significant challenge for the actors. “Most actors will appear in both plays. I would mention especially Alexander Stankuš, who will play the lead role in both comedies. We selected the plays to allow actors to explore different roles and showcase their talent to the audience, transforming into different stylizations and characters during the intermission,” added the theatre’s dramaturge.
The comedy ‘A Hellish Evening’ takes place in a French apartment, where the French intellectual and artist Jan Lukáš, who earns a living writing scripts, resides. The second comedy is a parody of the electoral system; Patrick Blanc works as a chauffeur for a political party but suddenly finds himself nominated as a presidential candidate. “We wanted a new comedy format. In France, this system of short one-act comedies has become quite popular. However, for our needs, it would be too short for our main stage, so we decided to present one play during the intermission and the other after the intermission,” added Sodomka.
Both Lukáš and Blanc will be portrayed by Alexander Stankuš, appearing on stage in both comedies along with Adam Joura, Dana Tolarová, René Šmotek, and Ladislava Jančíková. Martin Tichý directed the plays, Markéta Oslzlá-Sládečková handled the set design, and Mario Buzzi composed the music. The French comedy author, who will attend the premiere, will also be present at the theatre for a discussion with the audience an hour before the performance.
This marks the fourth premiere of the season for the Šumperk Theatre. At the beginning of September, it opened the current theatre season with a premiere of one of the most performed Czech dramas, ‘Maryša.’ At the end of September, it presented the premiere of an interactive monodrama on the small stage of Hrádek, titled ‘3testers,’ featuring actress Ladislava Jančíková. At the end of October, it prepared the premiere adaptation of Eduard Štorch’s legendary novel, ‘Mammoth Hunters.'”
Television report on the Czech national television
15. prosinec 2023 – Šumperské divadlo připravuje unikátní představení (The Sumperk Theater is preparing a great performance.)