Made in Europe 2026/2027

Europe is in crisis. It’s weak. Idle. Degenerate. Naive. Paralyzed. It’s not invited to the table. It’s old. It’s slow. It’s over. Is that familiar? It seems that this is the story that we have decided to tell about our continent today. And no wonder, because the narrative of naivety and helplessness, has accompanied us Europeans for at least three thousand years as a founding myth.

In it, the beautiful Phoenician princess Europa again and again mounts a tame snow-white bull, unaware that it is the most powerful of the gods Zeus, who forcibly kidnaps her to Crete. It is there that their offspring give rise to what we call European culture. The image of Europe drifting helplessly on a bull’s back into the unknown can now be found on European banknotes and in front of the headquarters of the main European institutions. The one in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg has six tons. Why poor Europe looks so triumphant there is hard to say.

At Husa na provázku Theatre, we believe that the myths and stories we tell about ourselves are worth paying attention to. They are fundamental elements of our collective consciousness. They shape how we perceive reality and ourselves in it, what we consider important, moral, possible. They act as maps by which we can orient ourselves and meet in the chaos of the world. They connect us to each other, connect us to the past and the future. They can give as well as take our hope and courage.

So we decided to dedicate the 2026/27 season to such Europeans who have taken social responsibility for their personal stories. We want to tell new and unexpected stories about ourselves. Examine the origin of some narratives, the effects they have on us, and their possible endings. The season will be both intimate and political. Sassy and sensual. The motto is Made in Europe.

After all, it is enough just to change the point of view, and even the frightening story of the abused Gisèle Pelicot, who shook French society, instead of plunging into the darkness of the Western manosphere, can become a story about the strength not to remain in the role of victim, not to accept guilt and become a beacon to others. This is the opposite of the old story of Europe. An unexpected musical ode to life. On 30 October 2026, we will open the season with it under the title La Vie en Rose, directed by Eliška Balog.

In October 2026, we will also celebrate the 90th anniversary of the birth of the man who saw Europe as a space of shared values as well as a task, and who brought us back to its free structures. We are talking about the important European playwright, philosopher and politician Václav Havel, who is inseparably linked with our theatre. On 18 December 2026, exactly twenty-five years after his death, we will premiere an intimate original chamber production directed by Martin Modrý, titled Long-Distance Interrogation (Disturbing the Peace), which stages a dialogue with Havel. To what extent has this one person influenced the story of us all? What role does he still play in it? What role do we want him to play? It’s up to us. À propos…

The EU has allegedly taken away our freedom, our sovereignty, and our dairy spread (pomazánkové máslo). What’s next? Let the will of the people decide, let the referendum decide! Does this outcry sound familiar? By the creative duo Petr Erbes and Boris Jedinák, the audiences will be taken into the kitchen of political marketing, which, through its narratives, seeks to shape our sense of free will. On 26 February 2027, we will enter the new year with their production Referendum on Withdrawal.

While condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine, we are convinced that it is not possible to automatically exclude everything Russian from the European narrative. All the more so when he speaks to us so vividly as Anna Karenina to the director Anna Davidová the dramatist Kateřina Menclerová. Their adaptation of L. N. Tolstoy’s novel, viewing Anna as a mother, will be staged on 7 May 2027, starring Markéta Matulová in the title role, and will test what other narratives can be drawn from a story canonically read as romantic melodrama.

Czechia, Italy, and the Balkans. The roots of actor Goran Maiello reach everywhere there. He decided to leave the Amalfi Coast last season to tie himself to the Husa na provázku Theatre. His identity, however, is unmistakable – it is written not only in his genes, but also in the recipes he cooks from with love. In his pots and pans, national cultures meet, they are filled with the scent of emotions and simmering memories. During an experiential cooking evening for fifteen guests titled Amore mio, Brno!, he will, in collaboration with Matouš Benda, revive a legend about food that brings together people and nations. We will treat ourselves to a culinary holiday in Italy with both boys for the first time on 12 September 2026.

And then they come! Whether they spent their childhood summers at the Mácha Lake or by the sea in Croatia, whether they grew up on The Beatles or One Direction, they are united by a desire to create. This season, our senior amateur company Studio 60+ will meet three young creative teams, selected at the start of the season through an open call inspired by the motto Made in Europe. What would it be like for seniors to participate in Erasmus? What does Eurovision mean to Boomers and Gen Z? We will join them on an intergenerational journey through the Husa na provázku Theatre building, which will open the third edition of the Festival 60+, on 9 April 2027.

Finding and telling stories is an essential human need. To do so freely and in peace is a privilege. One of the many homes we have at the Husa na provázku Theatre, in Brno, and in contemporary Europe. A high degree of social cohesion and safety, access to education and healthcare, environmental responsibility, overall quality of life… Europeans currently rank among the world’s leaders in all of these areas. To a great extent, this is thanks to the European Union – a historically still very young political project that seems to have brought centuries of wars between nations, oppression, and injustice to a conclusion. What was merely the dreamed-of happy ending of the European story for the long lines of our common ancestors is, for our generation, a starting point and a commitment. And at the same time, a challenge to write the next chapter, to find a new story or stories. In the 2026/27 season, we want to embrace it under the motto Made in Europe. We want to explore our Europeanness, to seek out, bring forward, and reflect on the stories that we, as Europe today, can tell about ourselves. Without sentimentality and self-flagellation. With quixotic courage and imagination. Creatively.

Europe is safe, after all. It’s strong. Progressive. Free. Responsible. Europe is a driver. It invites you to the table. It knows where it’s going. And above all – it is 'made by us'.

Looking forward to seeing you then,

Martin Sládeček
artistic director

P.S. Don’t you recognize the faces on the season posters created by the photography duo Shotby.us and the graphic design studio Hrdina Pavlík? No wonder – this year, instead of actors and actresses, we have decided to symbolically highlight those who often work behind the scenes to select and weave the stories for you: dramaturges and directors of individual productions. Meet them!