The Artistic Section
The Artistic Section is an integral part of the organizing team of the International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER. Sometimes it may seem that this section stands a little apart from the epicentre of the preparations, but the opposite is true. We owe the creation of the artistic side of the festival to this section, made up of students of directing and dramaturgy, scenography, ATD (audiovisual media and theatre), and RTDS (radio and tv dramaturgy and scriptwriting). The duties of this section are wide-ranging - from selecting productions, to preparing the opening and closing ceremonies, photographing and filming, creating TV spot and radio spot, and decorating the school. But there is much more to these efforts, and there are hours of work and preparation behind them. And who would be better able to describe the work of the section at the festival than the representatives of the above-mentioned disciplines who work with us at the festival?
The first one is Helena Gricová, who is the art director of this year's festival. She is a third-year student of dramaturgy works on all of the festival's artistic side. For example, during the festival week she will participate in the preparation of the ceremonies. So, what is her perspective on ENCOUNTER? "Since I studied production first and have been involved in ENCOUNTER many times, my relationship with the festival has gradually changed. But now, I am very grateful that the festival exists and allows us students to experience an enjoyable week full of exposure to international theatre."
A student of directing, Emma Žežulová, is in charge of the closing ceremony as part of the festival, but most importantly, she is the dramaturg for the main program. Her job during the preparation time therefore consists of attending meetings with the entire artistic wing of ENCOUNTER. This also includes the selection and nomination of the schools that will visit us in Brno this year. For the closing ceremony, she works together with the dramaturge to come up with the concept, the script, and the cast. Then, with the stage designers, she deals with the set and costumes. Before and during the festival, they have rehearsals and then finally the actual production, which culminates in a week of meetings and inspiration. And how does Emma feel about the festival? "I love ENCOUNTER, I can get inspired and meet new people. It's one of the most intense festivals I know. And it's great that you don't have to sleep in a tent."
Magdaléna Černá, a scenography student, focuses her work at the festival on preparing costumes for the parade and ceremonies. She is also involved in the decoration of the Theatre Faculty and the concept of the chill out room where visitors can relax. Her work at the festival brings her "(...) a friendly collaborative environment and the opportunity to create with the other students at this school. I also get to know every aspect of the logistics of a school festival, which requires a huge amount of time for the organisers. But with that comes a constraint - where to find the time? This year, for perhaps the first time, I'm taking the festival seriously. I realise that the experience of many, many students depends on the decisions we make now as a team and where we put our priorities."
We will move from scenography to the field of ATD, i.e. audiovisual production and theatre. The students of this field are responsible for taking photos and filming everything that goes on at the festival. Because of the nature of their work, they hardly rest during festival week and run between the school and the theatres without stopping. Thanks to them, we have the entire festival thoroughly documented. Not only the main and off-programmes, but also all the places where anything happens during the festival. Tereza Ondryášová is also studying this field and, besides the above mentioned, she helps to create content for social media before the festival. Another big contribution of the ATD atelier is the creation of ENCOUNTER TV and then the so-called ENC in a nutshell, which are short videos recording what happened during the whole festival.
For Radio and Television Dramaturgy and Screenwriting (RTDS) we have Vojtěch Rikan, who co-creates the artistic and audio content of the festival. And this, in his words, includes: "(...) not only the creation of a radio spot, but also other forms that are very free in terms of content and method. This gives us the space to express ourselves in a way that is close to us personally. I see the festival as an event where different artistic perspectives and approaches collide, which can be inspirational in terms of how people from all over the world approach art as a means of expression. Even though theatre is no longer as distinctive to me as other art forms, I still see ENCOUNTER as something that can cross boundaries and inspire not only visitors but also theatre companies." In addition to the radio spot, this year the RTDS atelier is also working on a festival podcast.
Finally, it is important to mention that this section consists of 34 members, each of whom is an integral part of our organizing team. There are countless activities throughout the year and the festival, both organizational and artistic, and it is impossible to list them all. Still, I hope that this article offers a different perspective on what it takes to organize a festival.
