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SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER je mezinárodní festival divadelních škol s více než třicetiletou tradicí. Jedinečnost festivalu spočívá v tom, že hlavní organizátory tvoří studenti Divadelní fakulty Janáčkovy akademie múzických umění.

SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER

The OFF Programme at SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER is, in a way, a festival within a festival. Don’t just expect “something added” to the Main Programme—think of it more as a stream of events running from morning to night, occasionally drawing you in so deeply that you forget where you were originally headed. It’s a mix of everything imaginable: student performances, concerts, workshops, screenings, and chance encounters that can easily become the highlight of the day.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a first-year student in the Media and Promotion section, I decided to find out what exactly lies behind OFF, so I interviewed Anna Šestáková, the production manager of the OFF Programme. And as she herself says: “A synthesis of creations, projects, and student performances from the JAMU Drama Faculty—something every day from morning to night—you’ll never be bored!”&nbsp;<component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/Ykotxe17P8zbzhDW8Ho96Znoy73R00xn" alt="Head of OFF Programme section, photo by Jasmína Georgievová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>What exactly falls within the OFF programme section, and how does it differ from the festival’s Main Programme?&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>The Main Programme consists of performances by selected companies. That is the reason the festival exists, the reason guests and visitors from all over the world come here every year. The OFF Programme is actually a companion program to the main one—its function is to create a space for visitors, participants, guests, students, and the public to meet. At the same time, the festival opens and closes with a unique ceremony.&nbsp;&nbsp;In recent years—and this is how we’re approaching it this year as well—the OFF Programme has increasingly featured works by students from the JAMU Drama Faculty that, by their very nature, don’t fit into the Main Programme—such as photography exhibitions or film screenings created by our students.&nbsp;&nbsp;The OFF Programme includes evening events, typically parties at clubs in Brno. This year, you can look forward to parties at Kabinet Múz, Pul.pitu, and Co.labs, as well as the opening event in the courtyard of Divadlo Husa na provázku, at Alžbětínka. &nbsp;&nbsp;In addition to the evening highlights, we’re also organizing workshops—you’ll be able to attend six of them during the festival week! In addition to movement workshops led by Tomáš Weber, John Freeman, and Bibiana Krausková, we’ll offer lectures on Live Cinema by Kamila Polívková, Crowd Safety in Event Settings led by Martin Královič, and a lecture titled “Performing Democracy Under Illiberalism” by Noémi Herczog.&nbsp;Throughout the festival, an exhibition by ATD students will be on display at the Trojka café, and on Saturday there will be a series of film screenings in the Chillout Room at DF JAMU.From March 16 to April 20, an exhibition will be on display at Moravské náměstí near Jošt, where you can learn more about the festival’s history, the countries that have visited us, the festival ambassadors, and this year’s edition.&nbsp;&nbsp;In short—the OFF Programme has a ton of events, and we guarantee you won’t be bored during the festival!</blockquote><component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/w1LQheRk66gHtKGNk8yb2X896lVxnlpb" alt="Photo by Klára Prchalová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>How do you choose the events or artists that make it into the OFF program?&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>As for concerts, at the beginning of the academic year we create a list of bands, and all members of the MFR (the Auxiliary Festival Board) can add suggestions. Then we review it, sort through the options, and decide what’s feasible within our budget and target audiences, and reach out to them. &nbsp;&nbsp;For workshops, the process is quite similar. &nbsp;&nbsp;We strive for a diverse programme where everyone can find something they like. &nbsp;&nbsp;OFF performances, exhibitions, and screenings are organized via open call—anyone can apply, and selections are made from the applicants. This is done either by us, the organizers, or, in the case of OFF performances, by the Dean’s Council.</blockquote>Was there anything this year that you really wanted to organize but didn’t end up happening?&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>Yeah, the tournament at Woodkopf. And also an open-air theater event, which ultimately couldn’t be held due to staffing issues. Maybe it’s for the best—we all know what April weather is like.</blockquote>Is there any event from this year’s OFF Programme that you’re personally most looking forward to?&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>I’m really looking forward to Noémi Herczog’s lecture, and then quite a bit to the concerts at Pul.pit and Co.labs, mainly because we’ve never held evening festival events there before, so it’ll be a new space and a new experience. But otherwise, I don’t have any favorites—we tried to select and prepare everything as best as we could, so I’m looking forward to everything equally!</blockquote><component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/UhY3HMkQkPH3FdG0PjTs0jJGAxsMwQdT" alt="OFF Programme section, photo by Jasmína Georgievová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>What has working on the OFF Programme given you—perhaps experience or something you’d recommend to students in lower grades?&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote>Probably not to be afraid to try new things, but to have a good plan ready for them and tackle them well in advance. And that the most important thing is that we, as students, learn something from the festival, and if something doesn’t work out or doesn’t go as planned, it’s not the end of the world. &nbsp;&nbsp;But personally, I’ve learned a lot about time management, leading meetings (better than I could before), and creating clearer spreadsheets.</blockquote>But the OFF Programme isn’t just about everything you manage to see; it’s also about what you learn along the way, whether as an audience member or an organizer. It’s a space where things don’t always go according to plan (see the canceled tournament at Woodkopf), but that’s part of the experience. As mentioned in the interview: “It’s not the end of the world—on the contrary, it’s an experience.And maybe that’s exactly why the OFF Programme at SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER works. It’s not perfect, it’s a bit chaotic, but it’s alive. And if you’re still not convinced? Well, the final note is simply: “It’s awesome!”&nbsp;Cover photo by Klára Prchalová

The OFF Programme: A “Festival Within a Festival”

The Core Organising Team for The International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER 2026 is made up of third-year students of Theatre Management and Stage Technology.&nbsp;&nbsp;Led by the Festival Director Kateřina Halamíčková and the Treasurer of the Festival Hana Severinová, members of the team lead the individual sections – Fundraising, Guest Service, Jury, Participants, Media and Promotion, OFF Programme, the Artistic Section and Technical Support. The organization of the international festival is also part of the curriculum for students in the first and second years of their studies, and their participation has a strong impact on their education.&nbsp;<component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/C6OGsvRlmaqX6YcEjWxkhF7A99J894At" alt="Photo: Jasmína Georgievová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>The festival's final form is also influenced by the Artistic Section, which consists of students of the Dramaturgy and Directing, Scenography, Audiovisual Media and Theatre as well as Radio and TV Dramaturgy and Scriptwriting, with Eva Kaslová (a student of the Dramaturgy and Directing Department) serving as artistic director this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;This section, for example, helps shape the dramaturgical line of a given edition of the festival, participates in the selection of productions, the conception of the ceremonies, and the selection of themes. The spiral that accompanies this year's edition thus symbolizes movement, growth, and a constant return to the essence.&nbsp;&nbsp;The resulting collaboration across departments connects production practice with creative thinking. The festival is an opportunity to pause, discover something in the productions that resonate with us, form an opinion, think critically, engage in debate, let art affect us, have fun, dance the evenings away, and, in a spiral of exhaustion, get through the next day of the festival.&nbsp;&nbsp;SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER combines encounters across year-groups, disciplines, and generations—and mainly encounters with ourselves. Experience it again on April 14th–18th 2026, when The International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER 2026 will take place. We look forward to seeing you then!&nbsp;&nbsp;Wishing you a peaceful start to the summer semester.&nbsp;&nbsp;Klára Huczalová&nbsp;

Production are people. Who is behind the 36th annual of The International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER?

I took the liberty of interviewing Vojtěch Obdržálek, a recent graduate in acting who became a long-term participant in the festival during his time at the Theatre Faculty of JAMU. After graduation, Vojta has become a member of the acting ensemble at the Městské divadlo Zlín. Even though he is currently in the middle of dress rehearsals, he found a moment to share his memories and experiences from the festival with us so that we could reminisce about the festival atmosphere with him for a while.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When you hear SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER, what comes to your mind first?&nbsp;<blockquote>Lots of young people who are interested in theatre. Lots of fun, getting to know each other, learning about other cultures, or rather, how theatre is done in other countries and what their approach to it is.&nbsp;</blockquote>How many times have you participated in the festival? Were you always just a spectator, or did you also shine on stage?&nbsp;<blockquote>I was at ENCOUNTER all four years I was at JAMU, so from 2021 to 2025, and always just as a spectator. I never managed to get on stage as a participant.</blockquote>Do you remember your first ENCOUNTER? Did it meet your expectations? What surprised you?<blockquote>I don't remember it in detail (laughs). Since I was there four times, it all kind of blends together. I didn't really know how prestigious it is. That surprised me a lot. Like, really, people are willing to come to ENCOUNTER from as far away as Africa, Asia, America... Really, people from all over the world come to JAMU in Brno for The International Festival of Theatre Schools.</blockquote>Is there a performance from the festival that you still remember today?&nbsp;<blockquote>I recently recalled a monodrama, and I think it was last year. Some girl, and now I don't know, man, whether from Germany or Sweden... she had huge curly hair, and it was absolutely luxurious in terms of movement. (author's note: Accademia Dimitri Verscio, Shooting Snow White, 2025, Switzerland) Or another thing that was quite interesting, I liked when the Koreans did King Oedipus – a Greek tragedy in Korean dress. They were kids in Korean clothes with masks, and they performed a Greek tragedy through movement. That was interesting. (author's note: Korean National University of the Arts: The Nape, 2025, South Korea)&nbsp;</blockquote><component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/bTUZbGlZVqadc8RqgRCXhddCID6EuKP0" alt="Photo: Martin Chmelík" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media><component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/oKggBkyvYbGqOpBaA0yIKDrBiAyQe9ax" alt="Photo: Bára Kučerová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>And what is it like to watch a performance in a language you don't understand?<blockquote>Well, fortunately, most of them had subtitles, so you could more or less keep up with it. On the other hand, when it's well-acted, you literally don't need to know what they're saying. You just read their looks and how the actors react to each other, and you can figure out what it's about relatively easily. Or, for example, when you go to see Slovaks or Poles, it's pretty much the same. You're able to get it even without subtitles, within reason.&nbsp;</blockquote>Do you have a story from ENCOUNTER that you're not afraid to share with us?&nbsp;<blockquote>(laughs) Well, I have a lot of stories from ENCOUNTER, of course, but most of them are completely unpublishable, so I can't tell them (laughs). But it often happened to me that when I went to a party in the evening as part of the program, as you meet people there, you stop and start talking to someone. Since it's ENCOUNTER, you both assume you don't speak the same language, so you start speaking English, and only after about three minutes of conversation does it become clear that you're actually both Czechs, and that you can talk to each other in Czech. (laughs)&nbsp;</blockquote>Do you plan to maintain your loyalty to ENCOUNTER and visit it again this year, even though you are no longer a JAMU student?&nbsp;<blockquote>Wow... I haven't really thought about that at all. Since I'm already a working person and my schedule isn't completely set, it will depend a lot on whether I even have time, whether I'll even be able to get tickets, which will be much more difficult now that I'm not at JAMU as a student. It would be nice and I would like to go, but for these reasons, it probably won't work out.&nbsp;</blockquote>What advice would you give to someone who is going to their first ENCOUNTER this year?&nbsp;<blockquote>I have a few things... Buy an off-pass, that's a must-have! Then I would also say go to parties and leave early enough so that you can manage to catch at least two, preferably three performances the next day, because such a range of genres, approaches to theatre... it doesn't happen often. It's nice to take advantage of the fact that you have such an opportunity, so ideally catch two, preferably three shows a day.&nbsp;</blockquote>Is there anything you would like to share through the article?&nbsp;<blockquote>Well, not really (laughs). Love each other. As my colleague from the theatre, Gustav Řezníček, would say: "We are theatre. We love each other."&nbsp;</blockquote>&nbsp;&nbsp;I would like to thank Vojta very much for such a pleasant conversation. I hope that you, like me, have returned to the festival mood for a little while, and that those who plan to go to their first ENCOUNTER this year have learned something new from the perspective of a long-time viewer, and that the time that remains until the start of this year's edition now seems much less painful.&nbsp;I believe that we, too, will be able to take away such memories and stories from April 14th to 18th, 2026 as Vojta has from past editions of the festival.

‘Really, people from all over the world come to JAMU in Brno for the International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER.’

Before the space officially opened to visitors, an internal meeting of the organizing team took place, bringing together students of theatre production and stage technology. The meeting was opened with welcoming remarks by Festival Director Kateřina Halamíčková and the Dean of the Theatre Faculty of JAMU, Professor Blanka Kolegar.&nbsp;The public programme began at 7:30 p.m. with a brief opening led by Festival Director Kateřina Halamíčková alongside Festival Economist Hana Severinová. In their speeches, they introduced the upcoming edition of the festival and invited guests to the International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER 2026, which will take place from April 14 to 18, 2026.&nbsp;The musical programme of the evening was opened by the band Na kolejích kočka, whose energetic and playful performance immediately drew the audience into the festive atmosphere. Their catchy melodies, familiar to many in the crowd, set the tone for the evening from the very first minutes.&nbsp;<component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/F8EnDMdt7qJ3APlKjFPJEJRazzaauVUt" alt="Photo: Klára Prchalová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>They were followed by The Queues, who seamlessly picked up the momentum and further intensified the energy of the night. Enthusiastic reactions from the audience quickly spread to the dance floor, which soon filled with lively dance moves.&nbsp;<component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/sSFt45ow3x067LvotyBcrngQ1QOWNgs1" alt="Photo: Klára Prchalová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>The final musical act of the evening was Caramel, whose performance carried a distinctly personal touch. The band’s lead singer is a student at JAMU, a fact that was reflected in the close and natural connection with the audience, many of whom were already well acquainted with his work.&nbsp;<component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/WGBVeqtxLsVK7mlmkIR1HEPDJFvRVVpv" alt="Photo: Klára Prchalová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>The ENC Christmas Party thus offered not only a first taste of the festival atmosphere, but also a welcoming space for students, organizers, and the public to meet in a relaxed and friendly spirit.&nbsp;A big thank-you goes to all members of the OFF Programme team, whose work ensured the smooth preparation and execution of the evening. We are already looking forward to future meetings, parties, and activities that the International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER 2026 will bring this April. We wish everyone all the best in the new year and look forward to seeing you again.&nbsp;

ENC Christmas Party: Icy Whirl

On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, the The Auxiliary Festival Board held its Teambuilding event.&nbsp;The International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER 2026  is approaching fast. Preparations are well underway, and with them came our first official meeting of the organizing team – a Teambuilding evening held as part of the OFF programme.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was a wonderful evening that gave the entire team an opportunity to get to know each other better outside of the school environment and to enjoy cheerful moments together. Thanks to this gathering, we were able to recharge our energy and motivation for the challenging months ahead.&nbsp;The program for the evening was prepared by first-year Production students: Kateřina Řezáčová, Olivia Zwyrtek, and Matej Roch. The entire event took place at Desert Club, whose alternative interior enhanced the atmosphere of the evening and perfectly complemented the program.&nbsp;<component-embed-media src="https://s3.dualstack.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/cuYCnTzv3TUH1SAMi6DoA9Bi123eGnTv" alt="" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>After a long day, this evening offered everyone a chance to step out of the daily routine – and it’s no surprise that the program quickly picked up momentum.&nbsp; The evening was filled mainly with ice-breaking activities and games.&nbsp;&nbsp;The first of these was a modified version of the classic game Rock, Paper, Scissors. What was different about it? The winner would take their defeated opponent along to the next round as a fan, gradually forming entire fan teams. The final champion of the game was rewarded with a small gift – a candle and a tote bag.&nbsp;During the break, the organizers prepared another great activity: Icebreaker Bingo. Why “icebreaker”? The answer is simple – instead of classic bingo, participants had to find the authors of anonymous survey statements. The search turned out to be full of surprises, offering a unique opportunity to see our teammates in a new light. Often, these statements revealed things that might otherwise have remained secret. It’s no wonder the game captured everyone’s attention.&nbsp;The last official part of the program was the game Riskuj (the Czech version of Jeopardy!). This game revealed just how competitive the students of the Department of Theatre Production and Stage Technology could be. Emotions ran high, and the battle for victory was tense and exciting. For some, accepting defeat was difficult, while others celebrated their win enthusiastically.&nbsp;The final part of the evening unfolded in the spirit of free entertainment. Iconic hits from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s filled the space. Singing and dancing soon took over, as small groups chatted, some played darts, and others joined in the lively music. The evening strengthened existing friendships and sparked brand-new ones.&nbsp;It’s a beautiful start to our journey, and I believe that thanks to the good mood and shared experiences, our collaboration will continue just as successfully as this wonderful evening…&nbsp;&nbsp;

November Teambuilding at JAMU – It’s Already Starting

I have also found the Elektra complex in this production of Bernard Alba (by Romana Horáková) production at the Theatre na Orlí. Lorca's drama is traditionally seen as a critique of society and its conventions, but in this production, it seems as if this level is often in the background. The question: ‘What will other people think of this?’ is heard several times, but it does not form the core of this production. The motif of society is especially present here at the beginning, when Bernarda locks her daughters in the house and orders them to mourn the death of her husband. That is, after all, what custom and tradition preach. The social motif is very noticeable here and appears in the gossip that Poncia (Lesana Krauskova) spreads, but even more at the end of the production, when, after the death of her daughter Adela (Klára Ondrůšková), Bernarda insists that her daughter ‘remain pure’ and that her death be presented in this way before society. She does not want to admit the truth and the fact that this is not the case. Much more prominent themes are, for example, the need for freedom, the longing for love, or the relationships between daughters and mother.The way the production works with the character of the man (Tomáš Pavlica) is also interesting. He first represents the father and later the fiancé of Angustias (Markéta Bílková). However, his interest (at least in some aspects) is much more in her sister Adela. It is Adela who is the character who was most attached to her father. It's as if she transferred her feelings to another man after his death. The fact that he is her sister's fiancé doesn't bother her, either. What matters to her is that she loves him. Whether that love is reciprocated or not we will never know. And it is here we can perhaps see the Elektra complex, in her longing for her father transferred to another character.The designation ‘man’ is also telling. As if the man were more of a symbol than a person. This supports the interpretation that the essential lies more in women than men. Yet women often have to adapt to men.As far as the acting performances are concerned, Lesana Krausková as the maid Poncie and Klara Ondruskova as Adela impressed the most. On the contrary, the male character was problematic. His presence on stage did not always fit into the overall concept of the production. Perhaps it would have been more effective to leave him as only a shadow, which would have also underlined his symbolism.The set was simple, but all the more effective for that. Each of the daughters had their own box, which represented their only personal space where they could be themselves, as if it was their room where they could hide their secrets – at least until Poncia, at Bernarda's behest, inspected their contents. Privacy ceased to exist, and the boxes were suddenly a symbol of confinement and enclosure more than privacy. At the same time, however, they serve as a practical element of the set design, which often allowed for movement, organization of space, and its articulation.The canvas was also an important visual element, which at some moments divided the stage and thus created a kind of border between two worlds: what was happening in front of it and behind it. Its presence created a kind of more intimate atmosphere in which the women's story took place.This production of Bernarda Alba presents a glimpse into a woman's world in which, although the rules are given, not everyone wants to follow them. It speaks of women's silence and defiance with such urgency that one has to ponder what one has just seen on stage even after leaving the theatre.<component-embed-media src="https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/Sy7SaVbPsnvdGKV8WyFACB4qzlvYQoV0" alt="Foto: Barbora Kučerová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media><component-embed-media src="https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/eHmUWxS8JTjC3yvZGOQlsPPezmYMQemH" alt="Foto: Barbora Kučerová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>

A daughter who loves her father?

The second husband of Bernarda Alba (Romana Horáková), father of four out of five of her daughters, has died, and so his house goes to her. The audience is guided through this plot by the opening song, performed by the maid Poncia (Lesana Krausková). She has been in the house long enough to know all the dirty secrets and to learn how to survive there. Krausková portrays her as a balanced woman who has come to terms with her life and won't be bossed around. Even during a conflict, she looks the lady of the house in the eyes with all of her dignity and shows her that she isn't threatened by her, because sooner or later she´ll be needed again. A similar revolt comes from the youngest of Bernarda´s daughters - Adela (Klára Ondrůšková). Despite being the youngest, she is the most pushy out of the sisters, and she knows what she wants in life. But she's still young, after all, so she follows her feelings rather than her&nbsp; mind. She's seeing Pepe Romano (Tomáš Pavlica) and doesn't care that he's engaged to her step sister Angustias (Markéta Bílková). Bílková was less expressive in portraying this character than the rest of her colleagues. She couldn´t dive deeper into the psychology of an obedient daughter and a distant sister, so her performance remained shallow. Similarly bland was Karolína Krobotová as Magdalena. But in this case, the problem was the lack of opportunities for the character to perform, so the actress couldn't show off her skills as much. On the other hand, Aneta Měsícová, who also had fewer interactions, managed to capture the nature of a young woman convincingly. A huge addition was the young energy that Adela and Amelia radiated. Unlike Ondrůšková, Měsícová, as Amelia, was soft, innocent, and kind of still a child. Skipping and joyfully running around the stage suggested her still-present childish side, and so did the song she sang about a boy. With a happy facial expression and unsure, shy gestures, she spoke about a young lad she met and she giggled like a little girl. The contrast to the cheerful Amelia was Martirio (Natália Ondrejmišková). Unhappy, ugly, and handicapped Martirio is also secretly in love with Pepe. But she isn't his object of interest, and that is where her bitterness stems from. As her name suggests, she suffers quietly and endures the unkindness of her fate. To form this character, the actress worked mainly with movement. She was stiff and rigid, and she limited her facial expressions to a few suffering or bitter looks, and she meticulously adhered to the fact that the character has a lame arm.The play’s set was simple. Each daughter had a chest on stage with her name on it. Those represented their rooms and a private space. But it was also under the control of their mother. She lets her daughters have personal space but she doesn't have a problem with disturbing it. When Angustias’ picture of her fiancé goes missing, she orders Poncia to search their rooms. This shows that Bernarda is the only force in the house, and apparently free decisions are actually under her control. On the back horizon stood panels with abstract artistic motifs resembling stains and colour strokes. They depicted the walls of the house, and absorbed many fights, secrets, and incidents that needed to stay hidden from the outside world. Even though the individual panels stood separately, the artwork on them was one continuous piece. Like a family, a whole which is broken and fragmented.&nbsp;&nbsp;The production was also made special by its live music. The live chamber orchestra, directed by conductor Matěj Voda, induced strong emotion by using Spanish harmonies and melodies, none of which would have been so effective if recorded. Supplemented by occasional synchronised claps, stomps, or finger snaps from the actresses, it produced the dynamic passion which is present in Lorca's play and is so significant for it. These young students are gifted with prominent and high quality vocal abilities, so they handled the musical form excellently. They didn't even have difficulties with the temperamental and passionate Spanish dances.&nbsp;<component-embed-media src="https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/c69CIoXX30qVACLWXy8mHBFfXZWlPxTA" alt="Foto: Barbora Kučerová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media><component-embed-media src="https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/mediaboard-publishing/blogs/AXCw0iZIQZqTcKjFyNBQZeLCLegw4Wew" alt="Foto: Barbora Kučerová" visible_alt="true" url="" content_type="image/jpeg" type="image"></component-embed-media>