Petr Šesták
Burnout
You never give me priority to the right here. I'll step on the gas, catch up to you in a few seconds, and tap on your window. I'm gesturing furiously, but you're not looking at me. Never. Even if I deliver food to your door. You're looking at the portable payment terminal to see if the amount fits. Never at me. But soon, you'll have to see me.
A ruthless battle rages in the city streets. Cyclists versus motorists. A world reduced to those with two wheels and those with four. No dialogue is possible through the car window. The only way to meet is to crash. The prose hit by Petr Šesták, nominated for the 2023 Magnesia Litera, caused quite a stir in the Czech literary scene—its surprisingly polished form and the urgency of its message drew attention to the topic of our contemporary culture wars. How far are we willing to go, convinced of the righteousness of our just cause? The budding director Martin Modrý challenges both the novel's narrator and the audience to take stock of their own ideologies.
Martin Modrý (1999) is a versatile creator at the very beginning of his directorial career. We offered the graduate of Brno’s JAMU and current game design student at FAVU his first major directing opportunity at the Goose on a String Theatre, convinced by the impact of his visual approach to theater, the allure of his stage music, which he often composes himself, and his ability to articulate themes that resonate with the youngest generation.
